Luas Finglas

Sure he was out running people over for years according to the people of Macroom. That's worse than all of those people clearly.

I think the next government, whichever parties it is composed of, will benefit from the ground work that's been put in over the past 5 years. People here are understandably frustrated with the lack of visible progress in recent years but that was largely down to a complete collapse of An Bord Pleanála post financial crisis and the disfunctional planning system that means for example that the Metro has been caught in limbo for more than two years now.

ABP is being reformed, renamed and much better resourced thankfully. The new planning bill should help all future projects progress more smoothly. And between this year and next, we should see planning approval for all the BusConnects routes in Dublin, all the DART+ lines and the new metro (many of these will be subject to judicial review of course).

I think Eamon Ryan has done more to promote those projects than a generic FG, FF or SF minister would have. But the fruits of his efforts won't be evident for another few years yet.

That in a nutshell is why successive governments in Ireland have been so shortsighted when it comes to big infrastructure projects. It's always the next minister (or the one after) who gets to cut the ribbon and take credit for the work you are doing today.

The huge uplift on Locallink appears to have started after he entered office; although Locallink itself was started in the FF-Ind government before the Greens first time in office and was rebranded and extended under FG-Labour

Yes but all of these were submitted to ABP during his tenure. Plans are nothing but ideas until they get legs and real planning actually starts. It is not a coincidence that more public transport infrastructure projects have been submitted to ABP, during the Greens tenure in government, than at any time in the history of the state.

I meant 24/7 bus lanes, rather than bus routes, to be clear. The Greens have totally changed the narrative in the city and driven a new focus on public transport. As others have said, it's a shame more results aren't clearly visible.

Restarting the Luas Finglas project––was one of Eamon Ryan’s first acts as Minister for Transport.

That isn't true, this is the original archived site for the project;

Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) in collaboration with the National Transport Authority (NTA) has been exploring options for this proposed extension since 2018

Yes, full cabinet approval with a Green Party in government. The point is - it's unlikely a coincidence that so many PT projects received planning approval while the Green Party were in government. This is not a statement of fact, it is simply an opinion, and a very reasonable one.

Had the Green Party not been in government (with FG/FF), it's very likely less of these projects would have received government approval. Most likely, a bunch of road projects would have instead and, perhaps, only 1 Dart+ project and maybe half of the CBCs would have gone to ABP.

Correct, and this announcement is more good news.

Public transport projects take time, they span over a number of governments. The Greens have kept them all moving in this current government, we need them back to keep the progress going.

Covid.

Anyway, I stand by my belief that the Finglas extension (and other Luas projects) have been held back because of the desire to get Metrolink through.

We should be aiming for 2.5km of new track annually in Dublin.

Really hoping that the envisaged further extension beyond Finglas also happens in the early 2030s.

No

I'd have no problem with a Finglas to Airport Luas, once it is delivered as its own project without ever being considered as a 'replacement' for anything else.

Manchester has its trams to the airport, but you'd always use the rail link if going to the city centre. They're there because plenty of airport workers live along the route.

I'd far prefer this line to be extended to meet Metrolink though.

I am very much in the camp of not extending it to the airport. It should however be extended in time (once Metrolink construction is underway) to the Metrolink stop at Northwood. This would pass through the already very busy Hampton Wood area, serve the popular Ikea & Decathlon and also the massive new DCC facilities HQ which is a big employer. It would also link the whole area from Domnick Street, Broadstone, Phibsboro, Cabra, Finglas with a one change rail link to the airport and out to Swords.

There is no evidence that Ryan is more interested in bike lanes than the metro and he is fully behind it. Bike lanes get done more quickly as there is obviously less complexity and cost involved. That doesn't mean they have more importance. These quotes would pass any test for 'defending it'. Metro ties in perfectly with his aims to get people out of cars.

Announcing the decision, Minister Ryan said:

"MetroLink is a once in a generation project that is going to massively transform the public transport system in our capital city. This project in various guises has been on the table now for 2 decades, but the government’s decision on the MetroLink Preliminary Business Case marks a significant milestone. Now this exciting transport megaproject starts to become a reality. We are giving the green light to a transport system that will be integral to the city and the country’s sustainable development in this century, and into the next.

"MetroLink is hardwired to our climate ambitions. It will provide over 1 billion carbon neutral, fully electrified, passenger trips by 2050. Over 175,000 people and 250,000 jobs will be accessible to the stations by foot alone. By interchanging with other public transport systems such as DART and Luas, MetroLink connects to more than a million people in the Dublin area, and more across Ireland. The project will improve the quality of the urban environment and people’s lives, as well as enable the development of more well-connected homes in and around our capital city. It will contribute to a shift from the private car to more sustainable travel, helping to decarbonise the transport sector in line with government policy.