[Article] Metro North project questioned - report

spacetweek

Winters wrote: »

I dont recall IE saying that it wasnt possible. Cost prohibitive perhaps but it was looked at as part of the Dublin Integrated rail Plan.

In engineering everything is possible but not always worth it..

Yes. Quad tracking would be prohibitively expensive due to the lack of land. Triple tracking would be possible but would be a very poor substitute for the Metro. It wouldn't allow the level of service quadding would and Ballymun/DCU/Drumcondra would get nothing. It's a long way around and if you sped it up to get people into town faster, then there can't be intermediate stops so the only new possible journey you get is Airport-Connolly. A network should facilitate as many possible journeys as it can. In any case express services shouldn't be needed as the journey time from Aiport-Stephen's Green will be only 17 mins.

dowlingm

Shoving the airport link through the Northern line does nothing for DCU and nothing for Ballymun, both substantial trip generators on a daily basis. Having a Maynooth-MN connection in Drumcondra makes for a shorter journey and empties some seats for local traffic that would otherwise have to change at Pearse post-Interconnector. That's before we count the tens of thousands Metro West will bring in.

Remember also that the Howth Junction area is already complex before you add airport conflicts.

The alternative is a separate JFK Airtrain type light rail/monorail connector to Howth Junction or Portmarnock, but then that's a change right there in places not really destinations in their own right (although an enterprising individual with land could build a long-stay car park I suppose).

Expanding the Northern line to Drogheda will likely be necessary to properly service improved Enterprise and Northern suburban before adding airport service to the mix.

My preference though would be a fast grade separated alignment for Enterprise/express suburban north of the Donabate metro connection to just short of Drogheda rather than adding tracks all the way round the coast, with consequent bridge widening and disruption to existing services.

dowlingm

One other point re: Metro North - having Metro and DART in parallel is important in changing the structure of road transport from An Larism to perpendicular feeders. Making Dublin's a more human-friendly downtown is not just about getting rid of cars and trucks but quays packed with DB diesel burners too.