DART+ (DART Expansion)

Coastal South: they do appear to be proceeding with the Bray/Greystones/Wicklow bits - Dart to Wicklow Town has been confirmed (albeit with the date pushed back to 2030) and the design for Greystones has appeared in a couple of presentations.

If DART+ Coastal South is being split into two projects; which part of it will include the construction of the additional turnback platform at Dún Laoghaire?

there were 2 turnbacks up until quite recently (10 years?), presumably they decided they didn't need a second one.

A preferred option for DART+ Coastal South is ready. Public consultation this year.

we've been hearing the consultation is imminent for about 2 years.

The level crossing gates should be kept down to facilitate the most efficient use of the service. 12tph is per direction, so that’s up to 24 crossings an hour. Times 2 minutes a crossing = 48 minutes out of every hour in peak time. That would facilitate about 15~20,000 people travelling, and their needs far outweigh those of the fifty people in forty-eight cars who might be kept waiting for the gates.

Frankly, I don’t think it’s actually the neighbours who would object to removal of the crossings: they’re starting from one side or other of the crossing, so it’s no big deal to drive a longer way around if needed - their primary need is to have good pedestrian access through the new crossing. My guess is that the most vocal NIMBYs have “back yards” that are nowhere near the works: they’re people from the wider district who don’t want their handy rat-run to and from the office taken away from them.

Closing the crossing at Lansdowne road is made difficult because of nine residential properties that would be cut off by any changes. Honestly, anyone who objects should just get CPO’d - even at 2-3x market value it’s probably cheaper than any engineering solution that would keep their access open. The tracks can’t go below the road here as they have to cross the Dodder immediately south of the station. A road bridge with he necessary clearance would be too steep to build.

The section from Serpentine Avenue to Strand Road can really only be fixed by lowering the tracks (and lowering both Sandymount and Sydney Parade stations too). That’s about 3 km of track rebuilding, but the logistics around maintenance and stabling would probably mean shutting the whole coastal line south of Lansdowne road for the duration.

It’s not easy. And it won’t be cheap.

What is the legal minimum time the gates have to be open per day? Simply open them between 2am and 4am and close them the rest of the day.

It feels a little wild to have specific statutory instruments for each/many level crossings (going through the amendments/SIs to the railway regulations act there are SIs specific to a number of railway crossings)

Do they mean that all other LCs are just subject to the original "remain closed until a vehicle needs to use them" legislation?

They all seem "almost" copy pasted with slight adjustments. Why not just have a regulation on how level crossings operate and then if you need special adjustments for specific ones handle them individually?

One of the latest (1991) references Oranmore LC and says the alarms and barriers need to start going no less than 37 seconds before a train passes the crossing.