New €10bn transport investment programme

monument

From the Department of Transport:

Minister Donohoe confirms €10bn investment in our transport future

· New Metro North chosen as preferred project to meet transport needs of North Dublin - from city centre to Dublin Airport and Swords

· €6bn investment in our road network

· Appropriate levels of funding to be delivered to maintain and renew existing infrastructure

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe TD, today (Tuesday) said that an allocation of almost €10 billion for his Department, over the next seven years, will allow for appropriate levels of investment to be made in public transport to maintain and improve the existing network. It will allow for the growing problem of urban congestion to be addressed and for the sustainable transport agenda to be supported.

Six billion euro is being made available to support the development of our road network, with provision also being made for a strategic rail line to serve the transport needs of North Dublin, which is one of the fastest growing areas in the country. Funding will also be allocated for the DART Expansion project, with an allocation being made for the redesign of the DART Underground, which remains a key element of integrated transport for the Greater Dublin Area.

Funding for the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport is being made as part of the Government’s overall Capital Plan, as announced by Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin TD.

Speaking this afternoon, Minister Donohoe said: ‘This allocation of almost €10 billion for my Department reflects the priority that Government places on transport and delivering a well-functioning transport system that facilitates a growing economy. By planning now for the years ahead we will ensure that the services we deliver can adequately meet our needs so that continued future economic growth is supported’.

“As transport investment decisions are longer term, my Department’s element of the Government’s overall Capital Plan is longer, at seven years (2016-2022). An investment of this level signals that we are serious about addressing the needs of an economy that is in recovery and that we are willing to invest in meeting future demands, in so far as expenditure limits will allow.

“This Plan is the result of the work carried out by my own Department and the National Transport Authority (NTA) who have carefully considered Ireland’s transport needs now and into the future. The transport element of the Capital Plan is framed by the recommendations set out in Strategic Investment Framework for Land Transport (SIFLT) report, which has been published by my Department.

“The Plan announced today will restore transport investment to comparable international levels by 2020, allow us to maintain, renew and address critical gaps and pressure points in our existing infrastructure and address urban congestion by encouraging people out of their cars and onto public transport.

“We will not be in a position to deliver all that is required immediately. We simply do not have the resources to do this now. What the Government’s capital plan does, however, is set out an investment plan that will ensure Ireland’s transport network is fit for purpose and can adequately meet the needs of a growing economy, and society, as efficiently as possible.”

Public Transport Investment

“2014 saw public transport usage increase by a combined 8 million passenger trips across all modes; bus, Luas and commuter rail. Under this plan, the public transport programme will reach €3.6bn over the seven years. This will allow for €2.6bn investment in essential ‘steady state’ maintenance and asset renewal (‘steady state refers the level of expenditure needed to keep the transport system in an adequate condition and fit for purpose), including:

Bus fleet replacement and capacity enhancement;

Upgrading of Bus Corridors;
The completion of the Luas Cross City project in Dublin;

“Additional funding over final 3 years of the plan will enable major transport projects, including new Metro North and DART expansion programme, to proceed. And a further €1bn will be invested to address growing congestion resulting from economic recovery and population growth. Work will include:

The completion of the City Centre Resignalling programme for the rail network;

The construction of a new Central Traffic Control centre for commuter and intercity rail and;

An on-going maintenance programme to ensure the safety and efficiency of the rail network.

“Funds are also being committed to open the Phoenix Park Tunnel in 2016 to bring some scheduled passenger services on the Kildare Line to Connolly Station; to improve the DART service, increasing frequency and capacity; to build additional and improve existing cycle lanes and to continue with the smart technological upgrades which enhance public transport.

By 2020, Exchequer investment will have incrementally reached requisite ‘steady state’ funding levels.

By 2022, the additional investment, particularly over the final three years of the plan, will mean critical transport projects addressing congestion and improving the commuter experience are completed and operational, and some new major transport projects are commenced.

New Metro North

“As one of the fastest growing areas in the country, Fingal registered the third highest population growth rate in the country (at 13.9%) in Census 2011. The area has been recorded as having close to four times the population growth rate of Dublin City and almost double the population growth rates of the other Dublin counties. A recent review of house planning permissions by the Dublin planning authorities also identified that half of the available sites with planning permission granted, or in the process of being granted, are located in Fingal, with a large proportion centred around Swords. Overall, a large amount of Dublin’s future population growth will occur in Fingal, with Swords representing the centre of that growth, making the delivery of a transport solution that will meet the transport needs of the region essential.

“Based on the outcome of the recent North Dublin Transport Study undertaken by the National Transport Authority, the Government has decided that a revised Metro North scheme (entitled new Metro North) is the most appropriate public transport solution to address the transport needs of the Swords/Airport, City Centre Corridor.

“This will provide a high capacity public transport link along the City Centre/Airport/Swords corridor which has been an objective of Government for some time.

“The revised lower cost new Metro North will be a 16.5km light rail line connecting St Stephen’s Green to Swords, via Dublin Airport. It is expected that construction of the project would commence in 2021 with a view to delivery by 2026/27. Almost 8.5km of the route will run in a tunnel from St. Stephen’s Green to Griffith Avenue and under the airport. The route will serve key destinations such as Drumcondra, the Mater Hospital, DCU and Ballymun in addition to Dublin Airport and Swords offering a journey time of 19 minutes from O’Connell St to the Airport and 31 minutes from O’Connell Street to Swords Estuary.

“It is estimated that this project will cost €2.4 billion (excluding VAT).

“The main cost reduction elements of new Metro North are:

Reduced tunnelling;

A reduced length of elevated structure by surface running in Swords;

One less city centre station, by replacing O’Connell Bridge and Parnell Square stations with a single station on O’Connell Street;

Smaller stations with shorter platforms, matching the reduced length vehicles.
“The comprehensive assessment by the NTA concluded that this is the appropriate public transport proposal to address the transport needs of this corridor over the longer term as it:

Generates the highest level of transport benefits of all of the options assessed and has the highest number of additional public transport trips in the am peak travel period;

Is the most economically advantageous scheme, delivering the highest benefit to cost ratio of all of the options assessed;
Provides a new strategic public transport corridor, avoiding reliance on either the existing heavy rail lines or the Luas Cross City line which is under construction;

Delivers a connection right into the heart of the city, serving O’Connell Street and St. Stephen’s Green;

Retains the opportunity to extend Luas Cross City to Finglas, which would not be feasible if the alternative Luas option examined by the NTA were selected;

Generates the highest level of highway and public transport benefits, demonstrating that it is the scheme most likely to encourage modal shift from car to public transport;

Provides a maximum level of accessibility to socially deprived areas within the study area and opens up connectivity to employment, health and education facilities;

Could potentially be extended southwards in the longer term to alleviate high travel demand on the Luas Green Line, and ultimately form a complete north-south metro corridor traversing both the north and south city; and
Retains a large proportion of the value of the almost €170 million invested to date in the Metro North project.

“Also, the first phase of a multi-phase DART expansion programme will begin, with the extension of the DART line to Balbriggan. The design and planning for the further phases, which include expansion of DART services to Maynooth in the west and Hazelhatch in the southwest, will also be progressed.

Roads Network

The roads programme will total €6bn over seven years. €4.4bn of this programme will be devoted to essential maintenance and strengthening works on our network, restoring our roads to the quality levels required.

A further €600m relates to on-going development of our PPP roads pipeline.
€860m will be targeted at progressing new priority roads projects.
By 2020, roads investment will have reached required ‘steady-state’ maintenance levels.

By 2022, significant progress will have been made in tackling bottlenecks and pinch points across the road network.
“The following are some of the key priorities in the roads programme which will support economic growth.

Roads will be upgraded into Grange Castle Business Park in West Dublin to provide access for a number of global industries.

Work will commence on several roads projects which are targeted at removing critical bottlenecks or upgrading inadequate sections of road: the M7 Naas-Newbridge road widening scheme, the Sallins By-Pass, the Dunkettle Interchange, the N22 Ballyvourney to Macroom scheme, the N4 Collooney to Castlebaldwin scheme, the N5 Westport to Turlough road, the N56 Dungloe to Glenties Road, the N56 Mountcharles to Inver Road, the N59 Moycullen By-Pass and a new Bridge (including approach roads) over the Garavogue river in Sligo.
A number of other schemes, also targeting bottlenecks in the road network, will be progressed subject to planning. Examples here include the Shannon Crossing Bridge at Killaloe, Galway By-Pass, Mallow Relief Road, Adare By-Pass, Slane By-Pass, N28 Cork to Ringaskiddy road, N69 Shannon to Foynes road, Athy Southern Distributor Road, Portlaoise Southern Distributor Road, Phase 4 of Dingle Relief road and Laytown to Bettystown Link road.

The Plan also includes funding for three PPP road schemes, the first of which is already underway in terms of construction:

- N17/18 Gort to Tuam scheme
- M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy scheme
- N25 New Ross By-Pass.


“Investment in our public transport system will uphold the principles of the Government’s Smarter Travel policy. Under the Capital Plan, €100 million is being committed to smarter travel and carbon reduction measures, including Greenways, to ensure that the transport sector makes a major contribution to climate change mitigation targets.

“By investing in our longer-term transport needs now we can ensure that our continued recovery, and the delivery of sustainable growth and jobs, is supported into the future. Our recovery is still delicate and we do not have unlimited resources to build everything we would like to in the coming years. However, this plan sets out an ambitious yet deliverable roadmap for our transport and our economic future.”

noelfirl

Construction on revised Metro North to start in 2021. So another election cycle away. So no actual commitment there, at all.

Farcical.

bk

Well I'm glad to hear that a modified Metro North (LR7) is what they are going for, over the nonsense of extending the Luas out to the airport or the DART, too ridiculous, completely insufficient ideas.

Though, I'd strongly question the idea of reducing the length of the stations from 90 meters to 60 meters. Sounds like that will end up as a repeat of almost every other public transport project to date being built under-capacity from day one (too short Luas carriages, Luas cross city, m50, etc.). I hope they at least create them as 90 meter station boxes so that they can be extended easily in future when needed.

Not starting to 2021, FFS. Well I suppose at least it hasn't been cancelled!

Also, no M20! Really!! I can't see the people of Cork and Limerick being very happy about that one!

Grandeeod

aliveandkicking wrote: »

They actually have no intention of building it do they.

Nope. They don't and neither will a change in Government. MN will spend at least another 30 - 40 years being jigged and rejigged, just like DU has experienced since 1975.

thomasj

McAlban wrote: »

It's also very populous, and growing faster than anywhere else in the country

As is blanchardstown with 65k population. yet despite having a tanaiste and former minister for transport from its constituency, its still stuck with a poor bus service and a rail system that can barely cope at peak time.

At least ye have a bus service that brings you via the port tunnel to the city in record time . we can't even get a bus through the phoenix park to speed up our journey because of its heritage.

Banjoxed

bk wrote: »

Well I'm glad to hear that a modified Metro North (LR7) is what they are going for, over the nonsense of extending the Luas out to the airport or the DART, too ridiculous, completely insufficient ideas.

Though, I'd strongly question the idea of reducing the length of the stations from 90 meters to 60 meters. Sounds like that will end up as a repeat of almost every other public transport project to date being built under-capacity from day one (too short Luas carriages, Luas cross city, m50, etc.). I hope they at least create them as 90 meter station boxes so that they can be extended easily in future when needed.

Not starting to 2021, FFS. Well I suppose at least it hasn't been cancelled!

Also, no M20! Really!! I can't see the people of Cork and Limerick being very happy about that one!

#GE2016 and #GE2021 have yet to happen. This is cancellation by another name.

expectationlost

when have the various departments been previously actively working on Metro North even in pre-planning?

end of the road

bk wrote: »

Well I'm glad to hear that a modified Metro North (LR7) is what they are going for, over the nonsense of extending the Luas out to the airport or the DART, too ridiculous, completely insufficient ideas.

how is extending the dart to the airport and then on to swords (which should be the plan) a "ridiculous, completely insufficient idea" . lets say the connolly side gets more tracking (which needs doing) how would a lower capacity metro be better?

thomasj

Looks like they've given up on BRT?

Muahahaha

2027, what a joke. Even if they were telling the truth on this we all know the inevitable project delays would push it out even further to 2029/2030. It's farcical.

crushproof

2021? FFS, I give up, what's the point anymore?

Until the Irish electorate cop on to themselves nothing is going to change. Unfortunately, that's not going happen. it's incredibly frustrating for anyone with an interest in developing our capital city. Alas we are a very small minority.

crushproof

thomasj wrote: »

Looks like they've given up on BRT?

It's alright, the consultants got their paycheck so who cares anymore?

NIMAN

How much are we getting up here in Donegal?

jd

Dublin properly shafted. DU postponed. Then Metro North put out to 2026. In 3 or 4 years they'll ask for another review because of population growth in Fingal and Traffic in DA. Come back in a few years then with the original plan for MN.

AlanG

Looks like none of this work will happen - Dublin 15 totally ignored, Metro north commencement 2 elections away, Dart Underground scrapped. A really poor announcement of schemes that have been announced and canceled several times before.

BoJack Horseman

Nothing announcement really.... Too far away, not much in the way of new money.

Just start DART underground & be damned.

pclive

In the space of a week the Minister has set public transport in the GDA back by decades. Both crucial projects are on the long finger and will NEVER be built.

Infini

And once again the zombie project is raised from the dead by the Minister of Trolling -_-

He cancels the DU for FGs vanity project...... I mean seriously I dont know what to say here its just so stupid.

Oh and the best part "Construction wont begin until after the election after the election!"

LXFlyer

Very little information about investment in buses, other than a bland statement, and nothing about BRT either, just upgrading bus corridors.

hmmm

If they're announcing major infrastructure projects to begin in 2021, which will mean another 2 consultants reports most likely and a "rethink", they should have gone the full hog and announced a mono-rail and space-port.

MrMorooka

Why go to Heuston to announce a project with no direct heavy rail connection? Rubbing it in IE's faces?

satguy

What a joke... It's all too far away, 2021 LOL ..

Michael D Not Higgins

All these projects were in the setting up phase back in 2007/8 around the time of the crash when they were shelved, why is it going to take another 5-6 years to start the building?

Amirani

Absolute disaster. 2027 is ridiculous. Underspeccing the design is ridiculous. Building without connectivity to the rail network is ridiculous.

At least the country folk get 6bn for their roads. What a mess.

aliveandkicking

expectationlost wrote: »

when have the various departments been previously actively working on Metro North even in pre-planning?

Do a google search for "Metro North EIS" and "Metro North Railway Order"

It got the railway equivalent of planning permission 5 years ago ffs. It could be put to tender tomorrow morning if the political will was there. This idea of redesigning and redesigning is just to buy them time before they actually commit to build. This particular redesign is buying them at least another 5 years by which time there will probably be another government who will want to modify it again. The cycle will continue as it has done up to now.

n97 mini

WTF! That's a joke.

end of the road

Amirani wrote: »

Absolute disaster. 2027 is ridiculous. Underspeccing the design is ridiculous. Building without connectivity to the rail network is ridiculous.

At least the country folk get 6bn for their roads. What a mess.

including the new ross by-pass where no doubt the traffic will still get stuck as is the tradition

Van.Bosch

so is there any funds put aside for this project now if this doesnt start for 6 years?

LeinsterDub

smaller stations with shorter platforms, matching the reduced length vehicles

Can't wait for 2028 and the beginning of the works to expand the platforms

LeinsterDub

Where is the 6 BL on roads going?

Van.Bosch

Airport Luas and people mover cancelled in favour of an optimised metro north - what great news, it will be so much better for the people of these areas in the next few years.

Whats that?

Well, its more of a promise, we havnt given any money to the project and we reckon it will start in 2021 and be finished in 2027.

Right - well i suppose at least it is the right project so better than fudging it. You're not doing anything stupid are you?

Well to save €79 million we're going to shorten the platforms.

But what if that needs to change in the future, wont extending tunnels underground cost multiples of that amount.

Sure we were able to widen the M50 werent we?

Zebra3

Dublin (and Ireland) sold down the river.

A chance to spend money that would actually give a return.

But hey, let's keep building roads. That's the future, eh?

Muahahaha

LeinsterDub wrote: »

Can't wait for 2028 and the beginning of the works to expand the platforms

2028 is far too optimistic. The public will have to tolerate overcrowding on Metro North for at least 15 years, hence 2043 would be a far more realistic target for the platforms to be extended.

The Back to the Future hoverboards will be in production before we see Metro North realised. Failing that we should have giant ziplines from the m50 into town.

Larbre34

LeinsterDub wrote: »

Where is the 6 BL on roads going?

2 billion for you, 2 billion for me and we'll give the job to the contractor from Bucharest....

Long Time Lurker

Bloody hell, they're all the same. In 2007 we were promised (by Fianna Fail) a rail link to Navan. The same rail link that was planned for 25 years. Well that was 8 odd years ago and the closest thing to a rail link in Navan I've got is the walk along the old disused line with my dogs yesterday evening.

This brings me back to taking the piss outta ministers last month for announcing the re-opening of a Victorian rail line in Dublin and acting like its some kinda transport revolution. All shiiote talk. How much of this will actually happen. How much of it will be late. How much of it will outdated before its even open and require serious upgrading before its even open. How many more governments will announce the very same plans on the eve of an election.

Unreal and people will buy this crap. Most if not all of this stuff should have been done donkeys years ago. This is not a list of proposals, its an admittinence letter of guilt, a list of past failures of the political establishment.

AlanG

Long Time Lurker wrote: »

This brings me back to taking the piss outta ministers last month for announcing the re-opening of a Victorian rail line in Dublin and acting like its some kinda transport revolution.

Reopening of a line that never closed, it simply was not used for regular commuter services yet they talk like it is a major investment.

end of the road

LeinsterDub wrote: »

Where is the 6 BL on roads going?

new ross by-pass, the traffic will probably still get stuck. m11 goary enniscorthy section. among others.

Zebra3 wrote: »

Dublin (and Ireland) sold down the river.

A chance to spend money that would actually give a return.

But hey, let's keep building roads. That's the future, eh?

shur roads are the answer to everything begorra.

Lenton Lane

Muahahaha wrote: »

2028 is far too optimistic. The public will have to tolerate overcrowding on Metro North for at least 15 years, hence 2043 would be a far more realistic target for the platforms to be extended.

The Back to the Future hoverboards will be in production before we see Metro North realised. Failing that we should have giant ziplines from the m50 into town.

I was thinking the zip line thread was a laugh but these proposals make that idea quite sensible. Who comes up with these ideas and why are they paid to come up with them?

Transport planning is a joke in this country. A very sick joke.

Van.Bosch

Lenton Lane wrote: »

I was thinking the zip line thread was a laugh but these proposals make that idea quite sensible. Who comes up with these ideas and why are they paid to come up with them?

Transport planning is a joke in this country. A very sick joke.

I think the planners are actually doing a good job, they devised metro north which was well received, politicans rejected it as it was too dear. They scaled it down as OMN and politicians said yeah thanks but lets wait 6 years. Hard to blame the RPA.

aliveandkicking

Van.Bosch wrote: »

I think the planners are actually doing a good job, they devised metro north which was well received, politicans rejected it as it was too dear. They scaled it down as OMN and politicians said yeah thanks but lets wait 6 years. Hard to blame the RPA.

You can now appreciate what the RPA were at pushing the Luas extension to airport with the ridiculous people mover idea. They were desperately trying to put the cheapest possible plan to the politicians so they would get the funding to build something. They obviously knew there wasn't a hope in hell of the politicians funding metro anytime soon and so it has come to pass. It is a disaster for all involved. At this stage I nearly would have preferred them to go with the Luas extension. I believe they actually would have funded that within the next 5 years. As it is now we have nothing funded until 2021 by which time it will be another government's decision.

expectationlost

Van.Bosch wrote: »

I think the planners are actually doing a good job, they devised metro north which was well received, politicans rejected it as it was too dear. They scaled it down as OMN and politicians said yeah thanks but lets wait 6 years. Hard to blame the RPA.

maybe the RPA should have seen the bust coming too

expectationlost

aliveandkicking wrote: »

Do a google search for "Metro North EIS" and "Metro North Railway Order"

It got the railway equivalent of planning permission 5 years ago ffs. It could be put to tender tomorrow morning if the political will was there. This idea of redesigning and redesigning is just to buy them time before they actually commit to build. This particular redesign is buying them at least another 5 years by which time there will probably be another government who will want to modify it again. The cycle will continue as it has done up to now.

and of course it was announced 5 year before that National transport plan to cost €34bn http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/1101/69233-transport/ 01 November 2005 including Metro North

Van.Bosch

As most on here with a keen desire to see decent PT in dublin it it a bittersweet day. The plan isnt actually that bad (bar the shorter platforms) but the politics of announcing it now (which means nothing) for 2021 which could be two governments away is very disheartening, almost teasing.

Idbatterim

In the space of a week the Minister has set public transport in the GDA back by decades. Both crucial projects are on the long finger and will NEVER be built.

I agree, its total f'ing joke! I dont believe they will never be built, the place is going to grind to a halt, it is going to be so damaging on so many fronts, at some stage they will be forced to do it, god knows how long they can kick it down the road for though. Its literally incredible!

It is a disaster for all involved. At this stage I nearly would have preferred them to go with the Luas extension. I believe they actually would have funded that within the next 5 years.

I disagree, I think building the luas would have been a worst case scenario. Can see there being big backlash over this and with possible change of government next year, maybe things being accelerated...

It appears FG are totally anti Dublin. We actually got nothing! They either opted for the do nothing approach or realise that Luas is a total joke. The thing is MNR (metro north revised) wasnt far off the original MN cost, I reckon it will simply end up being MN in a few years. You are talking pocket change in the scheme of things, thats the reality..

aliveandkicking

Idbatterim wrote: »

I disagree, I think building the luas would have been a worst case scenario. Can see there being big backlash over this and with possible change of government next year, maybe things being accelerated...

It appears FG are totally anti Dublin. We actually go nothing! They either opted for the do nothing approach or realise that Luas is a total joke. The thing is MNR (metro north revised) wasnt far off the original MN cost, I reckon it will simply end up being MN in a few years. You are talking pocket change in the scheme of things, that the reality..

You're right. I'm just so disheartened that we won't have anything even underway for another 6 years that I'm clutching at straws thinking the mad Luas extension could have been delivered before 2020.

I'm even more disheartened now that what is actually proposed to begin in 2021 does not it seems interchange with the Maynooth line at Drumcondra and the O'Connell St stop is going to be a 1 kilometre walk from Tara St. I despair at this stage.

Idbatterim

You're right. I'm just so disheartened that we won't have anything even underway for another 6 years that I'm clutching at straws thinking the mad Luas extension could have been delivered before 2020.

I'm even more disheartened now that what is actually proposed to begin in 2021 does not it seems interchange with the Maynooth line at Drumcondra and the O'Connell St stop is going to be a 1 kilometre walk from Tara St. I despair at this stage.

Like I said, I wouldnt be surprised if it ends up being original MN and they bring forward the start date. They change their mind like the wind here, as we know. Its on, its not on, lets commission a new report, lets go for a new option, new option i.e. luas isnt up to it, lets choose something else and then not do anything about if for years... so thats where we are at, like I said, they chop and change so much, I really wouldnt be surprised to see this being brought forwards, equally it may not be...

I am not sure of the logistics of this, but at this stage, could a private consortium like "metro dublin" build and operate a system, have no government funding, do away with nothing getting done, because somebody, somewhere, might take offence... Surely you could lose on that line, the numbers will be significant?

monument

Most posts post-announcement from today moved to this thread.

For discussion on the details of the New Metro North please use this thread:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057501186

It's a big announcement and even if Metro never gets built there will be billions spent, so, if there's anything worth it's own thread please feel free to start one.

patrickbrophy18

This is becoming too much like The Boy Who Cried Wolf. This idea has gone through numerous variations and here they are:

1. A DART system was proposed back in the 70s and 80s that would have connected Maynooth and Tallaght to the city on top of the current system.
2. At the turn of the century, we were given A Platform For Change.
3. In 2005, we were given the Transport 21 project which is pretty much an evolution of A Platform For Change. The two biggest components of this, DART Underground (formerly known as The Interconnector) and Metro North were scheduled to be open by this year. Neither materialized and traffic is still awful.
4. In the last week, renewal of planning permission was scrapped for DART Underground which is a huge amount of effort and money down the toilet. At least, if there was a plan there, keep it until funds are there to bring it to fruition.

To show some mercy, there is a DART system, 2 separate (but, soon to be connected) Luas lines and a commitment to open the Phoenix Park Tunnel to passengers by 2016. Nevertheless, these are the tip of the iceberg from a traffic congestion relief perspective.

Then, there is the M50 which is seeing more usage now than at the height of the boom. However, this is a major opportunity for the relevant transportation bodies to formulate a plan for a proper orbital rail system which would incentivize current users and future users of the M50 to make the switch. At the moment, v-shaped commutes or commutes which place undue dependency on traveling into Dublin City only to come out the other end are time consuming and can take anything up to and over 2 hours each way.

Grandeeod

And just to add to the above post, all this was flagged by some people years ago! I've put this into the infrastructure forum too. I think, from reading these forums today, that people have finally copped on to the fact that nothing will get built until there is a massive change in the political set up in Dublin.

Read this. Posted nearly 4 years ago. Has come to pass today.

Infrastructure prediction 2012.jpg

crushproof

Grandeeod wrote: »

And just to add to the above post, all this was flagged by some people years ago! I've put this into the infrastructure forum too. I think, from reading these forums today, that people have finally copped on to the fact that nothing will get built until there is a massive change in the political set up in Dublin.

Read this. Posted nearly 4 years ago. Has come to pass today.

Infrastructure prediction 2012.jpg

Brilliant, well spotted. Sufficient to say but I doubt many of us who have tracked public transport projects over the years aren't surprised at all.
I've been googling today to see if this kind of stuff goes on abroad but apart from the Edinburgh trams debaacle I'm hard pressed to find something on such a grand scale. Rehash after rehash after rehash.
I simply can't fathom why we can't just have one DART network, rather than DART, LUAS, Metro. Even if the networks weren't up to DART spec, I can't understand why it can't all be branded as DART, much easier for branding etc.

jd

The only new construction we will see in the next five years on the Dublin commuter rail network is the extension of the Dart from Malahide to Balbrigan. That's it! Metro North back to detailed design and planning. Dart Underground kicked to touch, in five years they'll say original Inchicore to Docklands is only worthwhile option, so restart process again. They may complete plan and design of Kildare and Maynooth routes. But feck all for the capital..more will be spent in my home county of Wexford on roads.