Luas BXD / Broombridge railway order granted

monument

Railway order http://www.pleanala.ie/news/NA0004/NA0004.htm

RPA statement:

Luas Broombridge Railway Order welcomed by RPA

RPA welcomes the granting of a Railway Order today for Luas Broombridge, a new Luas line running from the Green Line terminus at St. Stephen’s Green through the city centre, Phibsborough and Cabra to Broombridge. The Luas Red and Green lines will finally be connected and interchange with the Maynooth Line will be provided at Broombridge. The new line will also directly serve the new DIT Campus at Grangegorman which was recently given the green light to proceed and which will accommodate more than 20,000 students. This represents a very significant milestone in the creation of a high quality, integrated public transport network for Dublin.

It is expected that the construction of the line will generate 800 jobs. The cost of the project will be in the region of €370m and passenger services are planned to commence in 2017. The new line, which is approximately 6km in length, with 13 convenient stops, will offer an end to end journey time of just 24 minutes and is expected to attract an additional 8 million passenger journeys on Luas each year – a 25% increase. The scale of this increase underlines the vital importance of linking the Luas lines and opening up new options for Luas passengers and suburban and mainline rail passengers.

Luas has bucked the trend - despite the recession Luas passenger numbers have remained very high with 29 million passengers carried in 2011. RPA has always aimed to operate Luas without a subvention and to date this objective has been achieved. The implementation of Luas Broombridge will serve to further consolidate the performance of Luas and enhance considerably the options for public transport users in the capital.

Welcoming this decision Michael Sheedy, RPA’s Director of Light Rail, said: “This is great news for Luas and for commuters in Dublin. Luas Broombridge is RPA’s most important project. It will form the foundation of a high quality integrated network which will significantly reduce the current high reliance on the private car. We will now be working closely with our colleagues in the National Transport Authority and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport to progress the delivery of this much needed infrastructure”.

spank_inferno

Noooooo!

Leave the Green Line alone!
The best thing about it is that it doesn't connect to the Red Line.

monument

Very few major conditions. A total of 17 conditions in full but nothing too major: see them all here (PDF) and here's their reasoning behind not requiring other conditions -- ie not requiring alternative power in the city centre etc. Here's some of the main ones:

1. Dawson Stop
The northbound Dawson Stop shall not be constructed as proposed. The southbound stop on Dawson Street is confirmed. The tracks shall be realigned on Dawson Street to take account of this modification. Details of the revised track alignment (including traffic markings etc.) shall be agreed with the planning authority prior to commencement of construction.

Reason: It is considered that the character and attractiveness of Dawson Street would be unduly compromised by this stop, which, taken in conjunction with the existing bus stops on this pavement, would also create an excessive level of pedestrian congestion to the detriment of the street’s commercial viability.

2. Median of O’Connell Street Upper
The vertical alignment of the track along the central median of O’Connell Street Upper shall be as proposed at the oral hearing, that is, on a track raised to the same level as the median. A safety audit shall be prepared in relation to the detailed design, which shall include any measures necessary to cater for pedestrian safety vis-à-vis the change in track levels. The design and audit shall be agreed with the planning authority prior to construction.
Reason: In the interest of clarity. It is considered that this would be visually more satisfactory and a safer arrangement than originally proposed in the application.

3. Technical Cubicle at Marlborough Street
The technical cubicle proposed for the north end of Marlborough Street shall be omitted. The cubicle shall be relocated to a suitable site within the general vicinity of the Parnell Stop. This revision shall be implemented by means of an application for amendment under section 146B of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended.

Reason: It is considered that the proposed location would have an unacceptable adverse impact on the adjacent property and on the character of this end of Marlborough Street and that there are viable, alternative locations in the vicinity.

4. Parnell Street Re-instatement
The scope of the proposed scheme in the Parnell Street area shall be extended to include full façade to façade pavement renewal/reinstatement on Parnell Street between Marlborough Street and O’Connell Street Upper and O’Connell Street Upper and Moore Lane. The pavement width on Parnell Street shall be maximised subject to consultation and agreement with the planning authority.

Reason: In the interest of visual amenity and to achieve an upgrade of the public realm to an appropriate standard in this area.

5. St Stephen’s Green Siding
The rail siding proposed for St. Stephen’s Green North shall be used only for turnback operations and emergency use by disabled trams, and shall not be used for stabling of trams during normal operation of the system.

Reason: In the interest of visual amenity.

And the minister welcomes the decision:

Varadkar welcomes Luas BXD decision

“Luas BXD will revolutionise public transport in Dublin”


Minister for Transport Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar has welcomed the decision by An Bord Pleanála to grant a Railway Order for the Luas BXD line.

Speaking today, Minister Varadkar said: “Luas BXD will revolutionise public transport in Dublin. It will deliver a joined up commuter railway network by linking the two existing Luas lines. It will extend Luas into the north inner city to the new DIT campus at Grangegorman and will terminate at Broombridge where it will interchange with the Maynooth line."

Minister Varadkar continued “When complete, Dublin will have an integrated rail and light rail network that is the norm in other modern cities. For the first time, it will be possible to get a train in Maynooth or Leixlip and get out in Dundrum or Sandyford with just one change. Similarly, you will be able to get on the Luas at Tallaght and with just one change, get out at the new DIT campus or at Trinity College.”

Minister Varadkar concluded: “The Business Case for Luas BXD needs to be updated to take into account the changes made by An Board Pleanála. However I am confident that the business case remains robust and I expect that the arrangements for advance works and tendering will be finalised as soon as possible. This morning I have instructed the RPA to begin work on this immediately with the intention that construction can commence in the near future.”

ENDS

AngryLips

Curious that the wording on this doesn't acknowledge that it is an extension to the Green line and instead suggests that it is a new line altogether. Why is that? Is it some indication of the expected service?

BostonB

They'll need to build an army base to protect it there.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=79945588

ted1

6km in 24 minutes, not much faster than walking

zagmund

I thought the link up bit had already been authorised. Admittedly I haven't been paying full attention since the current economic blahdy blah started since I expect things to be announced and subsequently cancelled due to financial problems anyway, but I thought they were in the middle of building a bridge for this link at Marlborough Street already.

Was this not to be a LUAS bridge, or was this part of a link just as far as Abbey Street or what ?

z

KD345

I'm assuming Broombridge will now become a transport interchange between Irish Rail and Luas. Has any mention been made of the obvious anti social problems currently affecting this area?

zagmund wrote: »

Was this not to be a LUAS bridge, or was this part of a link just as far as Abbey Street or what ?

z

It's a public transport bridge, with bus lanes in both directions and Luas tracks southbound.

Stark

ted1 wrote: »

6km in 24 minutes, not much faster than walking

That's some walking pace. Still though, 15km/hr average speed is pretty **** for an expensive rail link. Most of the delay is due to the link-up bit as far as I can tell, from what I saw of earlier plans, it takes about 15 mins to travel a kilometre across the Liffey.

monument

ted1 wrote: »

6km in 24 minutes, not much faster than walking

That would be trams running at 15km/h. Average walking speed is about 5km/h, so trams would be travelling at about three times the average walking speed, and lots of people can't even walk at an 5km/h average.

From the 2006 census the average speed of motorists within the canals is 15km/h and cyclists is 12km/h - I don't have walking to hand but my guess is it's not far from the general 5km/h average found with a quick search.

Trams would also run from Broombridge to the likes of Dundrum and Sandyford and beyond -- I don't know many people who are willing to walk 6km never mind those further distances.

zagmund wrote: »

I thought the link up bit had already been authorised. Admittedly I haven't been paying full attention since the current economic blahdy blah started since I expect things to be announced and subsequently cancelled due to financial problems anyway, but I thought they were in the middle of building a bridge for this link at Marlborough Street already.

Was this not to be a LUAS bridge, or was this part of a link just as far as Abbey Street or what ?

It was (and still is) authorised by the government for funding. But they were waiting on this planning permission.

The Marlborough Street Bridge was to be built regardless for the use of buses -- I think there may also have been a view that they were expecting BXD to be granted and there was no major reasoning why it would not be.

BostonB wrote: »

They'll need to build an army base to protect it there.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=79945588

Luas will have a clearing effect of the area. It might not be an overnight success or any way easy, but Luas should neutralise a large percentage of the wasteland area, and add more passive and active protection to the area.

But like the condition to improve Parnell Street, it would have been nice to see them imposing condition relating to cleaning up, lighting up, and putting in CCTV along the canal area opposite the station, stop and depot.

monument

This is interesting: As above the northbound Dawson Street stop is not part of the permission, and ABP viewed that it could not impose the condition of a centre island platform mainly because of the bit in bold:

Dawson Street Stop
Having considered the Inspector’s initial report (September 2011) the Board was concerned, given the existing conditions on Dawson Street and the existing levels of pedestrian activity on the western side of Dawson Street (owing partly to bus stops) that the proposed northbound stop might have negative consequences for pedestrian movement, bus movement, and the amenity of the street in general.

The Board requested the RPA to present a design and assessment for an ‘island platform’ at the northern end of Dawson Street, as had been recommended by the Inspector. Various parties, including Dublin City Council, Dublin Bus and the National Transport Authority made submissions on this alternative. The Board tended to agree with the above mentioned parties that the island platform option would conflict with city bus services, and would also potentially reduce safety levels for pedestrians at this location. Displacement of the numerous affected bus routes to Kildare Street on a permanent basis, as preferred by the Inspector, was not considered to be within the Board’s remit, and in any case the negative consequences for bus patrons would need to be further considered.

Having examined the issue in detail, the Board considered it appropriate in the interests of the proper planning of the area to omit the northbound (i.e. inbound) stop on Dawson Street, notwithstanding the impacts of this omission on the LUAS patrons. It was considered that the stops at St. Stephen’s Green and Westmoreland Street would be capable of catering for the additional demand created by this condition without undue impacts. The omission of this stop would also provide an opportunity for the proposed track alignment to be revised on Dawson Street, which in itself might reduce the extent of shared running with existing bus services.

schemingbohemia

It's the Northbound stop that's been taken out of Dawson Street.

Given many Dublin Bus services stop three times between the Green and Westmoreland Street, I'd have thought there should have been a more thorough examination of removing at least 1 or preferably 2 DB stops thus allowing the island stop for the Luas.

Geuze

I'm curious, could the section from SSG to Parnell be built first, thus allowing services from SSG to OCS and back via Parnell and Marlborough?

What I mean is devoting all effort to that section first, get it open, then move all workers to the section from OCS to Broombridge.

I still mean one project, not two.

But with a phase 1 opening, then overall opening.

This happened on the M4 between Kinnegad and Athlone.

Geuze

Another question: will there be any services that use both the "Green" and "Red" lines??

For example: SSG to Heuston?

average_runner

ted1 wrote: »

6km in 24 minutes, not much faster than walking

Lets see you walk that fast then

carlmango11

Isn't a stop on Dawson a bit ridiculous anyway? Surely it's a bit too close to Stephen's Green?

I actually think stops are a little too close in general on the LUAS which makes it slower and more "bus-like" but Stephen's Green to Dawson St is a bit ridiculous.

green123

the whole luas has too many stops.
huge waste of money.

surely people can walk a few hundred yards and we could save a few hundred million ?

Tarabuses

carlmango11 wrote: »

Isn't a stop on Dawson a bit ridiculous anyway? Surely it's a bit too close to Stephen's Green?

I actually think stops are a little too close in general on the LUAS which makes it slower and more "bus-like" but Stephen's Green to Dawson St is a bit ridiculous.

Where is the next stop northbound after Dawson Street?

carlmango11

Tarabuses wrote: »

Where is the next stop northbound after Dawson Street?

Not sure actually, O'Connell Street?

ciaranmac

ted1 wrote: »

6km in 24 minutes, not much faster than walking

Are you in the Olympics?

Lapin

ted1 wrote: »

6km in 24 minutes, not much faster than walking

Are you Vladimir Kanaykin ?



Anyway, has anyone got any maps of the new route ?

Nothing on the Luas or Dept of Transport websites.

Flukey

green123 wrote: »

the whole luas has too many stops.
huge waste of money.

surely people can walk a few hundred yards and we could save a few hundred million ?

At places there are too many, too close together, Rialto and Fatima being a classic example. Then you have the other extreme with no stop between Kylemore and Red Cow. There should be one at the Long Mile Road junction. It nearly always stops there at the lights anyway. They might have to adjust the roads slightly to give more space for a stop, but it could be done. There could even be one opposite the Red Cow Hotel. Probably not a huge demand there, but worth considering. Lots of room there and there is simple access with the pedestrian bridge. A bit close to the actual Red Cow stop, but if they can have Rialto and Fatima that close, then they could. Was there one for there in the original plans?

pclive

maps etc at http://www.rpa.ie

carlmango11

Lapin wrote: »

Are you Vladimir Kanaykin ?



Anyway, has anyone got any maps of the new route ?

Nothing on the Luas or Dept of Transport websites.

http://www.rpa.ie/Maps/Luas%20Line%20BXD/Luas_Broombridge_Proposed_Route_March_2010.jpg

Tazz T

Broombridge?? Madness!

Madness? Madness? This is Broombridge!

/hooligan with bottle of cider kicks Leo Varadkar into the bottomless pit of death at Broombridge station/

Vahevala

Watch the Green line get even worse now :(

The green line has the stops just right but on the red line, there are way too many of them and too close together.

ballooba

ted1 wrote: »

6km in 24 minutes, not much faster than walking

Maybe if you're Roger Bannister.

Yakuza

ted1 wrote: »

6km in 24 minutes, not much faster than walking

Not a chance. I walked home from town last Friday, about 7km, took just over an hour and I was going at a fair old rate.

If this line is going to be going down Marlborough St, will it share the road with the buses that turn onto Marlborough St. from Talbot St? That section from Talbot St to Abbey St is used as a waiting area for most northside-bound buses, so I don't see that changing any time soon.

InchicoreDude

the whole luas has too many stops.
huge waste of money.

I always wondered about some Luas stops being so close together, particularly Rialto & Fatima; why isnt there just 1 stop there?

CIE

average_runner wrote: »

ted1 wrote: »

6 km in 24 minutes, not much faster than walking

Lets see you walk that fast then

It's an average speed of 9.3 miles per hour. Not very fast compared to other transport modes, and doesn't make it worthwhile compared to a brisk walk (remember, "ted1" said "not much faster than walking", not "as fast as walking"), and slower than the fastest race-walking as already noted.

BXD's a waste of money. And making Broombridge a terminus/transfer point will be a disaster.

n97 mini

What I don't get is the frequent Luas is being intefaced with the infrequent Maynooth service.

Conceivable you could turn up in Broombridge off a tram and have an hour of a wait, or worse again you could arrive at 9pm and Sunday evening to find the last train to Maynooth gone for the night.

ballooba

Yakuza wrote: »

Not a chance. I walked home from town last Friday, about 7km, took just over an hour and I was going at a fair old rate.

If this line is going to be going down Marlborough St, will it share the road with the buses that turn onto Marlborough St. from Talbot St? That section from Talbot St to Abbey St is used as a waiting area for most northside-bound buses, so I don't see that changing any time soon.

It takes me 40 minutes to walk from what will be the Parnell St stop to Ranelagh.

Judgement Day

carlmango11 wrote: »

Isn't a stop on Dawson a bit ridiculous anyway? Surely it's a bit too close to Stephen's Green?

I actually think stops are a little too close in general on the LUAS which makes it slower and more "bus-like" but Stephen's Green to Dawson St is a bit ridiculous.

What do you think the Luas is - some sort of inter-city rail service? It's an electrified bus service on rails but superior in terms of comfort, reliabilty etc. and of course it's going to make frequent stops - that's its raison d'être.

the groutch

RIP Green Line

starviewadams

Why all the RIP Green Line stuff?

Too many readers of the Evening Herald here!

BostonB

monument wrote: »

...
Luas will have a clearing effect of the area. It might not be an overnight success or any way easy, but Luas should neutralise a large percentage of the wasteland area, and add more passive and active protection to the area.....

How will it do that?

http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/1151639.jpg

CIE

starviewadams wrote: »

Why all the RIP Green Line stuff?

Too many readers of the Evening Herald here

...and not enough readers of the Irish Times?

L1011

n97 mini wrote: »

What I don't get is the frequent Luas is being intefaced with the infrequent Maynooth service.

Conceivable you could turn up in Broombridge off a tram and have an hour of a wait, or worse again you could arrive at 9pm and Sunday evening to find the last train to Maynooth gone for the night.

Intent was that the Maynooth line would be electrified and more frequent services by the time BXD got there... best laid plans, etc.

CIE

MYOB wrote: »

Intent was that the Maynooth line would be electrified and more frequent services by the time BXD got there... best laid plans, etc.

So they're deliberately holding off on increasing services on the Maynooth Line merely because it's not yet electrified?

n97 mini

CIE wrote: »

So they're deliberately holding off on increasing services on the Maynooth Line merely because it's not yet electrified?

In the most recent timetable reshuffle they reduced the service level. Saturday now has 18 suburban trains instead of 21, for example.

n97 mini

monument wrote: »

Luas will have a clearing effect of the area.

As property prices will shoot up, the locals will sell up to yuppies, buy Qashqais and 4-bed semis in non-descript villages in the midlands.

Oh, hold on, it's not 2007 any more.

monument

CIE wrote: »

average_runner wrote: »

ted1 wrote: »

6 km in 24 minutes, not much faster than walking

Lets see you walk that fast then

It's an average speed of 9.3 miles per hour. Not very fast compared to other transport modes, and doesn't make it worthwhile compared to a brisk walk (remember, "ted1" said "not much faster than walking", not "as fast as walking"), and slower than the fastest race-walking as already noted.

BXD's a waste of money. And making Broombridge a terminus/transfer point will be a disaster.

You're very near to trolling re walking speeds - convert it into miles per hours rather than km/h all you like, it's still three times faster than genral walking speeds for your adverage person - racing waking does not matter when you're talking about most people.

In the railway cutting, the Luas will bypass roads which can often be the worst congested ones in Dublin (ie Phibsborough Road, NCR, Cabra Road on the side).

Maybe more importantly than the above: As with the other lines to date, factors like reliability, frequency, and qualty of service will be more important than speed alone.

n97 mini wrote: »

monument wrote: »

Luas will have a clearing effect of the area.

As property prices will shoot up, the locals will sell up to yuppies, buy Qashqais and 4-bed semis in non-descript villages in the midlands.

Oh, hold on, it's not 2007 any more.

A clearing effect on the wasteland where the line and depot are going - nothing to do with housing or what people live where.

CIE

monument wrote: »

You're very near to trolling re walking speeds - convert it into miles per hours rather than km/h all you like, it's still three times faster than general walking speeds for your average person - racing waking does not matter when you're talking about most people

Rail is supposed to be faster than a bus at least, you know. Otherwise, the money spent on building its infrastructure is a complete waste. And when the average speed is still "not much faster" than walking especially based on distance to travel, then getting on the tram is wasted time and money, especially when time spent waiting for the tram is factored in. Also, is it not the case that the 9.3 mph average speed is for the whole BXD segment? which means slower than walking speed via the city centre, then.

monument wrote: »

In the railway cutting, the Luas will bypass roads which can often be the worst congested ones in Dublin (ie Phibsborough Road, NCR, Cabra Road on the side)

...only to dump passengers out at the most notorious train station on the suburban railway network. And travel at no faster than 16 mph average speed while in the cutting...only to get dumped out onto the street network south of Broadstone anyhow.

monument wrote: »

Maybe more importantly than the above: As with the other lines to date, factors like reliability, frequency, and quality of service will be more important than speed alone

...which don't skew things very well in Luas' favour. There are also factors like comfort, passenger capacity and high average speed, where Luas also falls short. Traversing the busy streets north of St. Stephen's Green will certainly cut the average speed down on street-running segments to walking speed.

monument wrote: »

A clearing effect on the wasteland where the line and depot are going - nothing to do with housing or what people live where.

Up in Broombridge, the line is anything but wasteland. The railway has been continuously active since the Midland Great Western Railway first started operating it in the middle of the 18th century. Building a Luas extension to terminate there won't stop the trouble.

AngryLips

Fact is the majority of passengers will be traveling into the city centre instead of through the city centre. So for many journeys the slower speed of the city centre section of the line is less of an issue. That, and the fact that it's both more reliable and as fast as the fastest mode of transport through the city centre, as pointed out in a previous post.

Poxyshamrock

So what's the story with Dawson then? You'll only be able to board/alight in one direction?

CIE

AngryLips wrote: »

Fact is the majority of passengers will be traveling into the city centre instead of through the city centre. So for many journeys the slower speed of the city centre section of the line is less of an issue. That, and the fact that it's both more reliable and as fast as the fastest mode of transport through the city centre, as pointed out in a previous post

The fastest mode of transport through the city centre is the IE/DART Loop Line, i.e. where trains stop at Tara Street. Those trains cannot be impeded by city traffic.

And since the travel through the city centre will play havoc with schedules as with the new longer cross-city bus routes, decrying a slow speed there as "less of an issue" is a jumped-to conclusion.

starviewadams

CIE wrote: »

...and not enough readers of the Irish Times?

Not enough people experiencing the Red Line on a daily basis,but instead choosing to believe the hyperbole that it's some sort of no holds barred tram full of criminals where murders and robberys are the norm,and that the perfect Green Line will be infected by the commoners from the Red!

darkman2

I think if you live on the Green line you have every right to be worried from an anti social behaviour point of view. I don't live on the southside and even I can admit that the Luas is not going to be as pleasant for you as it was from 2017.

AngryLips

CIE wrote: »

The fastest mode of transport through the city centre is the IE/DART Loop Line, i.e. where trains stop at Tara Street. Those trains cannot be impeded by city traffic.

Well I was referring to cross city from Grafton Street to O'Connell Street. But by your same reasoning I'd say that the East Link is the fastest means across the city

CIE wrote: »

And since the travel through the city centre will play havoc with schedules as with the new longer cross-city bus routes, decrying a slow speed there as "less of an issue" is a jumped-to conclusion.

I'm just pointing out that it's no slower than current average bus speeds.

So basically, there are no conditions imposed by ABP on BXD construction in relation to MN?

AlekSmart

monument wrote: »

.
In the railway cutting, the Luas will bypass roads which can often be the worst congested ones in Dublin (ie Phibsborough Road, NCR, Cabra Road on the side).

Maybe more importantly than the above: As with the other lines to date, factors like reliability, frequency, and qualty of service will be more important than speed alone.

Personally,and as a DublinBus Driver,I think this is great news.

However,I remain sceptical that any of the besuited chaps in charge of Public Transport "Plannin" are actually up to speed on their chosen topic.

I contend that both Red and Green Luas lines have had little or no impact upon Private Car useage along their respective lengths.

The far greatest "modal shift" has been from Bus to Tram,and BXD will,if proceding to plan,merely continue this.

None of the "Professionals" involved appear willing to grasp the nettle regarding the Private vs Public Transport stand-off in Dublin City...when it comes down to Car vs Bus (or Tram)....the Car wins...every time.

The Irish Independent article even confirms my diagnosis of the Senior Management malaise....

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/overhead-power-cables-cut-the-cost-of-new-luas-line-by-100m-3189607.html

The RPA said no decisions had been made yet on the ticket prices or timetables for the new line.

From the above we can gather that the RPA envisage BXD as yet another "seperate" Luas product with it's own Fare Tariff and Timetable,all of course,to be "integrated" at a later date...:rolleyes:

All evidence to me,that the very Senior People in this actually are making it up as they go along.

Mind you,It's not all bad, as at long last the Garda Commissioner gets off the hook regarding the "Blind Eyeing" by his Members of the Taxi fraternity's seizure and misuse of the Grafton Street Pedestrian Crossing....

A person boarding the Luas at St Stephen's Green will be transported along Dawson Street and Nassau Street -- which will require the removal of the famous Molly Malone statue during construction.

Any bets on where DCC/NTA will relocate the dei-facto Taxi Rank to.....I suggest front and rear of Leinster House..???

monument

Poxyshamrock wrote: »

So what's the story with Dawson then? You'll only be able to board/alight in one direction?

Yes, only the southbound platform.

An island platform would be too much of a conflict with buses and ABP thought it was out of their remit to say that an island platform should be used and the buses should be diverted. It would be up the RPA/NTA to follow up if they want and apply to a change.

CIE wrote: »

Rail is supposed to be faster than a bus at least, you know. Otherwise, the money spent on building its infrastructure is a complete waste.

And you think a buses on the Phibsborough Road, NCR, and Cabra Road will be going faster than Luas will be in the cutting?

And which do you think will be more reliable and dependable?

CIE wrote: »

And when the average speed is still "not much faster" than walking especially based on distance to travel, then getting on the tram is wasted time and money, especially when time spent waiting for the tram is factored in.

Give over. The speed is three times faster than walking, and unlike buses far more frequent so far and more dependable so lower waiting times.

CIE wrote: »

...only to dump passengers out at the most notorious train station on the suburban railway network.

Strange, there was everybody else thinking there's more than just one stop on the line and the end point hardly ever accounts of the bulk of passengers.

CIE wrote: »

And travel at no faster than 16 mph average speed while in the cutting...

Where are you getting that from?

CIE wrote: »

There are also factors like comfort, passenger capacity and high average speed, where Luas also falls short.

Luas has higher passenger capacity than buses. Comfort is more subjective and varies on both Luas and buses.

CIE wrote: »

Up in Broombridge, the line is anything but wasteland. The railway has been continuously active since the Midland Great Western Railway first started operating it in the middle of the 18th century. Building a Luas extension to terminate there won't stop the trouble.

When I said "where the line and depot are going" I mean where the Luas line and depot are going.

It's wasteland (even if largely overgrown wasteland) from along the old railway cutting, up past Bernard Park and up to Broom Bridge -- the only thing that could be counted as not wasteland is the active railway, but that takes up little of the area. It and the rest of the wasteland are currently unsecured.

As per this map: active railway line = red line; wasteland = blue area: