Dublin - Metrolink (Swords to Charlemont only)

Well TII and senior government officials probably should have held a separate meeting with state agencies, their concerns would be listened to but it is impossible to negate every concern so don't push it. It should have been pointed out to the likes of DAA in particular that they are going to benefit hugely from the project so don't rock the boat.

Metrolink is government policy and state agencies have to follow government policy, I'm sure they are all over policy when it suits them.

I believe it's the park at the corner of Berkeley Rd. and Eccles St., opposite the old Mater entrance: https://maps.app.goo.gl/oksZGFzAsAbyZjGf9

Fair enough but if it turns out that the location of the airport station has a knockon impact on some future development at the airport I'm quite sure the DAA want it on record that it's not their fault

Cognitive Dissonance All Over Again.

Just like 15 years ago time to 'delay' the plan for another CGI effort down the road. MetroFast might be a good name for the new design in 10 or 20 years from now. I can't wait for the new graphics of yet more stuff they have no intention of building once the consultants have had their sufficient snout time in the trough.

Looking forward though to the Finglas Luas going to the airport and the politicians acting like its a CrossRail level project.

The bottom paragraph was a highlight of 2015. We have three 'big' projects ready to go, Metro North, DART U, and Luas BXD, FG picks the cheapest of the 3 then the FG brit obsessed press office says its our Crossrail 😂

It's definitely a pattern of behaviour that one can see being repeated with luas finglas

You all seem to be taking a pretty standard element of the planning process personally.

We don't actually know what the individual bodies have said in their submissions. Wouldn't it be strange if these bodies had no comment on possibly the largest infrastructure project ever in the city which will directly affect their interest?

I'd be pretty annoyed if the OPW didn't take the opportunity to reinforce just how the project will negatively affect Stephen's Green. It's up to TII to argue for the greater good of the city and ABP to take a balanced view.

The media love to mention the top end figure, they love to stir the pot, evoke emotions and before we know we'll hear, think how many houses, schools and hospitals could be built for the same price, sure the luas and buses do the job, maybe a connection to the dartline would be better!

The sooner this gets through abp and granted approval the better, the sooner it starts, the sooner the naysayers will disappear.

Stupid alternative acronym aside, only one of the Metrolink contracts is to be done through PPP, the others (three civil works contracts) will see the contractors paid directly for works satisfactorily done in the traditional way.

The PPP will be for the line-wide services and rolling stock. This will involve many complex systems all of which must be integrated and work in sync. It makes sense to have a single point of responsibility (the PPP company, which will likely be a JV between the providers of some of these systems, they will subcontract others) and for them to be paid over the life of their contract, rather than paying them everything thing and letting them walk away.

It isn't about the cost of finance, it's about getting what you pay for and if the same people who install the systems are responsible for running them for the next 20 - 30 years and get paid over that time, you can be sure they will do a better job than if they can walk away with the money in their pocket and any issues can be blamed on the operator (who also won't take responsibility for any issues).

Seems like we have this conversation every year.

As a society we're going to have to accept transfers between lines or services. This applies to bus connects as well. It works in every other country so no reason it won't work here. Once the infrastructure and service is there, it will become second nature and much more accepted.

Coming from north Wicklow, the idea of Dundrum to airport being troublesome on public transport is laughable.

Or all the way to the coast to meet the Dart, somewhere between Shankill and Dun Laoghaire, but that's ot and I'll be told there's a thread for that.

If this doesn't go ahead now, it will never be built. If this metro plan falls to the side we'll be spending the next 25 years repeating the same problems and never progressing as a country. It simply has to be built, and more lines planned.