Dublin Metrolink (just Metrolink posts here -see post #1 )

lxflyer wrote: »

As Grandeeod has posted, FG have never been particularly in favour of any form of investment in heavy rail over the years, and I don't see major signs of that changing - they just don't get it, and our current Taoiseach has a particular aversion to that mode.

Not investing in DART Underground and the Commuter Rail network is going to come home and bite them.

It's less to do with heavy rail and mainly because of the state and CIE ownership.

Also: The Taoiseach would have less of a aversion if he lived beside a line with the greater frequency and reliability of Dart. But for the Taoiseach, it's not just his personal views but his party's views.

murphaph wrote: »

For me this would not really be justified while so much of the city has no rail whatsoever. The roads in West Dublin are literally perfect for running north-south feeder routes to take people to the stations on the Kildare Route.

You're comparing apples and oranges

Dart = suburban rail, limited stop, away from many trip generators.

Luas = surface LRT, frequent stops compared to segregated rail, and would serve one of the largest shopping centres, urban centres, workplaces, schools etc.

Just checking: You're one of the people who have an issue with the most successful central section of Luas, right? What's the most important: Faster or reliable and popular?

Grandeeod wrote: »

Reinventing the wheel again and again and again.:rolleyes: There is no need for any of this. MN was hit and miss anyway without a wider Metro plan. More fudging around the place and a great internet forum topic. I'll stay with my usual opinion - won't be built. That's not negative for the sake of it either. We were here before 12 years ago and we'll still be here in 12 years time. If you think political opinion has changed then all I can suggest is watch this space. All this talk, reivention and political ping pong and we are still only looking at one Metro line since 2001. STILL!

How long have we known that they were going back to square one on the project? It's at least a year or more now?

While I disagree string with revising the project, if they are going back to planning, they might as well look at better routing, especially with less disruptive central stops -- Tara St and SSG East away from the Luas are perfect examples of that -- and they might as well not end the route at SSG.

Grandeeod wrote: »

You have been mentioning this CIE/Union thing for a while now in relation to DU as if it's fact. While there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that the CIE group and in this particular instance IR, is a complete and utter mess, there is no sustantive evidence that the Government are long fingering DU because of CIE. You are making assumptions and ignoring historical evidence of very poor attitudes from successive Governments towards major rail based infrastructural projects. We have yet to deliver one, unless you count the original DART project, which I don't.

Do you listen current affairs on the radio or TV much? Never notice to the way FG TDs etc talk about CIE and Irish Rail? That's not to pass judgment on their view, but just to state it's fairly clear,

Grandeeod wrote: »

You are talking as if MN is a done deal and the current Government are committed to it. What the current Government are doing is a useless exercise. They are redesigning a single metro line that was originally conceived by a Government lead by a different party. That different party is currently propping up the Government and yet they don't display any concern at all towards this blatant fudging. Why? Because political parties don't really care about projects like MN or DU. There is a neurotic disorder in Irish politics when it comes to a single transport infrastructure project thats costed in the billions.

Err... the different party doesn't care much because its leadership has been gutted and there was never really that widespread support for it in FF. A lot can be said about The Bert, but he got transport infrastructure better than most.

Grandeeod wrote: »

You do realise that we are actually experiencing a complete replication of what happen 14 years ago in relation to both projects? This is obvious wash, rinse, repeat stuff. Blatant to those of us around here long enough.

We read your posts, so, it's hard to forget!

murphaph wrote: »

No I'm not but I think you might be.

I was asked about a heavy rail spur from the Kildare Route and I said I was not in favour of this but rather I would be in favour of buses running perpendicularly to the KR, feeding it with passengers instead. I wasn't even talking about Luas in this context


I understand the difference between DART and Luas.

I don't really know what you're asking here. What "central section" do you mean. Please clarify.

Central = city centre

I might have quoted the wrong post of your's. This is the one I was mainly responding to when I wrote my reply:

murphaph wrote: »

To be honest I've always opposed and remain opposed to Lucan Luas, either tunneled or on street.

Lucan sits between two heavy rail lines that have significant untapped capacity (DU would remedy this) and most of west Dublin should be heading to the city via these rail corridors, fed by frequent orbital bus routes on the arguably good north-south roads (M50, R113, R136 all have bus lanes or space for them but barely a bus route on any of them).

If we are to deep bore anything it should be DU and MN and after that the next deep bored line should really be between red and green lines.

Probably never see any of it though.

Lucan Luas maybe isn't the ideal project and it's routing past Ballyfermot could be more direct and support more developed along a more direct route, but overall it serves very few areas which would be also served directly by the heavy rail line and the Luas route would serve a lot of local or non-city centre trips.

I also don't know why you mention the two heavy rail lines as if the Maynooth line is anyway near most of the areas covered by the Lucan Luas.