Dublin - Metrolink (Swords to Charlemont only)

bk

marno21 wrote: »

Looking at infrastructure around Apple in Cork demonstrates how effective any lobbying would be.

Shambolic around there

Well the 202 is one of the best BE routes in Cork City and that is due to demands from Apple management.

Compare it to the nearby 203 in Farranree, one of the worst routes in the city.

Apple also paid for private buses to operate the route during the BE strikes.

Local management meet constantly with Enterprise Ireland and various departments almost weekly. Just go sit outside the Enterprise Ireland offices and see the constant coming and goings of black cars every day.

I'm quiet shocked folks here aren't aware of this!

It really isn't difficult to get meetings with top department staff and ministers! Ireland is a small country. I've been there myself. As a committee member of IrelandOffLine we use to regularly meet with the top civil servants with the Dept of Comms and yes a few different Minister of Communications over the years. We even had ministers turn up to conferences that we organised.

I'll never forget the meeting we had with one Minister where we convinced him that he did have the legal authority to enforce FRIACO and he did so within a few weeks and it completely opened up the Irish broadband market as a result!

Massive impact made by a bunch of nobodies, just volunteers in a small organisation.

It is massively naive to think by comparison that the top employers in the country, who pay billions in taxes don't have even greater access and influence!!

blackwhite

Grandeeod wrote: »

Totally irrelevant and not on topic. I'm waiting to see evidence of these high level meetings between multinationals and the cabinet that discuss the provision of Metrolink.

It proves the point that large employers, particularly in the multinational sector, are more than willing to flew their muscles in order to improve transportation options for their employees (and prospective employees). They know it's a big consideration when it comes to recruitment, and will do whatever they can to push their best interests.

If you don't believe it's happening then you're being incredibly naive.

Sam Russell

blackwhite wrote: »

It proves the point that large employers, particularly in the multinational sector, are more than willing to flew their muscles in order to improve transportation options for their employees (and prospective employees). They know it's a big consideration when it comes to recruitment, and will do whatever they can to push their best interests.

If you don't believe it's happening then you're being incredibly naive.

Who paid for the work at GCD? (The turn back and PPT set up).

I heard it was a multinational located nearby.

LXFlyer

Sam Russell wrote: »

Who paid for the work at GCD? (The turn back and PPT set up).

I heard it was a multinational located nearby.

That was paid out of exchequer funding with EU support. It came directly from the transport capital spending programme as part of the city centre resignalling project.

Grandeeod

Naive? Me? That's a laugh. There are speckles of naivety from others or maybe just opinion that doesn't have any real back up. I'll leave it there as I'd rather not disrupt the thread.

MJohnston

Speaking only as a past and present employee of a couple of these multinational tech companies, I know for sure that one of them has made strong representations, if not outright lobbying, about public transport and housing. Hardly top of their agenda, but it massively effects recruiting efforts at all these companies, which is ultimately why they care.

CatInABox

https://twitter.com/MetroLink_ie/status/1156497695038672897

Some official word on those ground investigations. 30 done, 40 or so to go.

Between this and the recent BusConnects update, I wonder if someone in the NTA has realised that getting more info and progress updates out there, even on extremely minor things like this, is useful.

Zebra3

https://www.rte.ie/archives/2017/0731/894247-metro-to-dublin-airport/

What could’ve been done and dusted already.

Tomrota

Zebra3 wrote: »

https://www.rte.ie/archives/2017/0731/894247-metro-to-dublin-airport/

What could’ve been done and dusted already.

Yup. We could be focussing on other metros and dart underground. Oh well. Doubt Dublin will ever have a transport network on par with other European cities its size.

prunudo

Zebra3 wrote: »

https://www.rte.ie/archives/2017/0731/894247-metro-to-dublin-airport/

What could’ve been done and dusted already.

Some interesting figures and sound bites in that report. Wonder what Enda Kenny has to say on the current link to the airport now. 17 years since that article, its shameful that there's been little to no progress.

Zebra3

Enda Kenny doesn’t give a damn.

Still pocketing a TDs salary for doing absolutely nothing.

CatInABox

The save Markievicz Pool campaign is continuing apace, with some frankly bizarre, wishful thinking.

See here.

Check out this wishful thinking:

The Hawkins House site is further from the DART station than the Luke Street location – it’s 150m from Tara Street. The NTA has deemed this distance to be too great for passengers making Metrolink and DART connections.

However, each of the proposed Metrolink Stations for Dublin Airport are roughly 230m and 250m from the airport terminals. In that light, argued Brait, 150m shouldn’t be seen as an unacceptable distance to walk from one train connection to another, and should make Hawkins House a perfectly acceptable site.

I actually laughed out loud when I read that, comparing mass transit interchange to an airport station.

CatInABox

The Irish Times continuing their "evenhanded" reporting on Metrolink.

MetroLink plan: ‘The whole environment is going to be completely destroyed’

A couple living in the Coke Ovens Cottages on the Royal Canal are complaining about losing 18 metres of their garden, which presumably means a 1 metre strip at the end of their garden, 18 metres long alongside the train tracks.

While I'm all for protecting the environment, I have a very different view on the balance between that and developing sustainable transport services. At least the couple acknowledge that TII are meeting with them to work on this. Can't imagine that there won't be some impact along there though, that whole area will be worked on in the Dart Expansion as well.

BonnieSituation

Zebra3 wrote: »

Enda Kenny doesn’t give a damn.

Still pocketing a TDs salary for doing absolutely nothing.

What are you on about? How is it Enda Kenny's fáilte that Séamus Brennan's metro wasn't built?

He wasn't in government until what, 8 years after that video?

cgcsb

'The whole Environment is going to be completely destroyed'. You'd think the IT would prefer not to be regarded as a red top, but there ya go.

I'm also struggling to understand where their house is? Coke Oven Cottages are about 1km away from the metro station. I think their issue is with DART expansion, but the whole thing is too poorly written to determine the exact issue and location. Something about hedges and hens and berries.

CatInABox

cgcsb wrote: »

'The whole Environment is going to be completely destroyed'. You'd think the IT would prefer not to be regarded as a red top, but there ya go.

I'm also struggling to understand where their house is? Coke Oven Cottages are about 1km away from the metro station. I think their issue is with DART expansion, but the whole thing is too poorly written to determine the exact issue and location. Something about hedges and hens and berries.

Yeah, sound like it might be more related to the Dart Expansion, but TII/IR might be trying to push it through in the Metrolink project for accounting purposes.

jd

CatInABox wrote: »

Yeah, sound like it might be more related to the Dart Expansion, but TII/IR might be trying to push it through in the Metrolink project for accounting purposes.

Yes, it is mentioned in the design Doc
https://www.metrolink.ie/assets/downloads/MetroLink_PR_Design_Development.pdf

Appendix K. Glasnevin Station
153.3Irish Rail Interface To deliver an integrated intermodal Station at Glasnevin that is compatible with the proposed MetroLink station arrangement, extensive works on the existing Irish Rail lines are required. It is anticipated that the design of these works willbe included aspart of the MetroLink Railway Order.The works along the Irish Rail lines will be designed to take account of Irish Rail requirements. Currently, Irish Rail is preparing plans under the DART Enhancement Project that might include the re-modelling of Glasnevin Junction. The scope of the works partly depends on how Connolly Station is to operate in the future and the pattern of trains using the Maynooth and Kildare lines.Discussions are progressing with Irish Rail to finalise the design

Sam Russell

jd wrote: »

Yes, it is mentioned in the design Doc
https://www.metrolink.ie/assets/downloads/MetroLink_PR_Design_Development.pdf

Is this related to Cross Guns?

Zebra3

BonnieSituation wrote: »

What are you on about? How is it Enda Kenny's fáilte that Séamus Brennan's metro wasn't built?

He wasn't in government until what, 8 years after that video?

When was MN scrapped?

marno21

2 tenders out in the last week

MetroLink Operations Advisor

https://irl.eu-supply.com/app/rfq/publicpurchase_frameset.asp?PID=151460&B=ETENDERS_SIMPLE&PS=1&PP=ctm/Supplier/publictenders

MetroLink Concept Architect

https://irl.eu-supply.com/app/rfq/publicpurchase_frameset.asp?PID=151684&B=ETENDERS_SIMPLE&PS=1&PP=ctm/Supplier/publictenders

cgcsb

Is this the first official confirmation of driverless trains

Peregrine

cgcsb wrote: »

Is this the first official confirmation of driverless trains

It was in the Design Development Report from March but this is confirmation that it wasn't changed after public consultation.

Zebra3

https://m.independent.ie/business/irish/metrolink-moves-forward-as-search-begins-for-concept-architect-with-2-5m-price-tag-38398563.html

ncounties

Zebra3 wrote: »

https://m.independent.ie/business/irish/metrolink-moves-forward-as-search-begins-for-concept-architect-with-2-5m-price-tag-38398563.html

The article attempts to make this sound expensive, and plays on the singular "architect". With the team size that will no doubt be involved, and the travel expenses, this looks like a conservative price-tag.

cgcsb

ncounties wrote: »

The article attempts to make this sound expensive, and plays on the singular "architect". With the team size that will no doubt be involved, and the travel expenses, this looks like a conservative price-tag.

They say the work is for 9 years. 2.5m/9 years is an average of €278k per year. It'll be a small team so. Couldn't really get more than 3 or 4 people involved for that.

CatInABox

ncounties wrote: »

The article attempts to make this sound expensive, and plays on the singular "architect". With the team size that will no doubt be involved, and the travel expenses, this looks like a conservative price-tag.

It's for a concept architect, so these guys won't be coming up with the detailed drawings, but will just be coming up with the overarching idea behind the entire project. Most likely, another competition will be held for the actual architect, but I'd assume that whoever wins this one will have a leg up on any other competitions.

The funny thing is that if the NTA doesn't spend the money on getting a good concept, then these reporters will be first in line attacking them for building a generic underground, with articles banging on about a "lost opportunity to invite some art and architecture into Dubliners daily lives".

cgcsb

To be honest, it was my view that the concept is already very well established by engineers, I don't see what a concept architect can add at this point, a skylight?

CatInABox

cgcsb wrote: »

To be honest, it was my view that the concept is already very well established by engineers, I don't see what a concept architect can add at this point, a skylight?

I'd say that the engineers have designed the stations to meet the requirements of providing a metro, and very little else. Concept architects will deal with coming up with a cohesive design idea that will apply to all of the stations, and will indicate what materials to be used, what benches, even down to the colour scheme.

Or they could go down a different route and attempt to tailor each station to their environment, so the airport station could look like the terminal 2; O'Connoll St station could have exhibits on 1916; SSG looks like a park; etc.

salmocab

CatInABox wrote: »

I'd say that the engineers have designed the stations to meet the requirements of providing a metro, and very little else. Concept architects will deal with coming up with a cohesive design idea that will apply to all of the stations, and will indicate what materials to be used, what benches, even down to the colour scheme.

Or they could go down a different route and attempt to tailor each station to their environment, so the airport station could look like the terminal 2; O'Connoll St station could have exhibits on 1916; SSG looks like a park; etc.

I’d say most stations will be very similar. Maybe the likes of the airport or the interchanges will be a bit different but I’d say most will look identical with only really the name plate different

CatInABox

salmocab wrote: »

I’d say most stations will be very similar. Maybe the likes of the airport or the interchanges will be a bit different but I’d say most will look identical with only really the name plate different

Yes, that's more likely in my opinion. All part of the drive to simplify and de-risk the project.