Dublin - Metrolink (Swords to Charlemont only)

Of course. It's patently obvious Dublin can't have barrier free transport because of crime, anti-social behaviour and we have no police force.

Once again, as with the red Luas line we'll be the victim of ideology over reality.

There are certain things we just can not have. Barrier free transport is one of them. It's stupid, it's not going to work and it's increasingly dangerous to the general public in the context of Dublin's serious neglected issues in the city.

This will have all the problems of the red line underground and it won't be long before, like the red line, most locals won't use it because they won't be safe.

as a red line user, I genuinely wish less people would use it.

Kermit’s post above is ridiculous

Are we being told that nobody uses the red line? I wish that was the case and I didn't have to sardine myself onto it

that's partly down to IÉ incompetence; I've got off at Pearse to find only 2 of the 5 barriers setup for exit and a massive queue building to leave the platform, when anyone with half a brain should realise that passengers exiting the platform arrive in large numbers by train, whilst passengers entering the platform arrive in dribs and drabs on foot. Other times (as you experienced) they have all the barriers setup for both directions so when a busy train arrives, you can't get onto the platform.

With the works going on at Tara station does it not free up enough space for IE to expand that station a little bit?

With the massive plaza beside it to facilitate the Metrolink station, couldn't they squeeze in a few terminal platforms on the Irish Rail tracks to accommodate services from the Northern line? Enterprise services terminating in Tara would be a much more desirable location than currently in Connolly.

I had actually thought similar before but for terminating northbound trains, surely it would make more sense to add a platform on the western side? Having Rosslare or Wexford commuter services terminate there frees up capacity on the LLB, in Connolly and removes the need to turn back from Connolly.

Using up valuable loop line paths to terminate trains at Tara Street is not a very good use of the available line capacity.

You would also be losing a path in each direction were trains to depart northbound from a bay platform on the east side or arrive into one on the west side.

Grand Canal Dock has been designed to minimise conflicts by having the terminating platform between the two running lines.

Far better to use the line capacity to have more through running of Northern Line and Maynooth Line trains to GCD and minimise conflicts.

Connolly has the terminating space and the facilities to service Intercity stock between journeys. That space isn’t there at Tara Street.

The last plan for Tara Street station that I saw had the station entrance being moved onto Tara Street as part of the redevelopment and thereby linking into the new walking route through the development at the Apollo House site through to Townsend Street.

Surely trains could terminate at Tara and depart there again for the journey south, that would free up capacity crossing the bridge in both directions. They could still go further north at the end of the day.

I was referring to the footprint of the station and the space freed up by the creation of the new metro stop, not the cost. And yes, I agree it would be an entirely new station but I don't understand why that would be a bad thing because the existing station is very substandard by any measure, especially among the city centre locations, particularly because it is also the busiest station in the entire network. Connecting Enterprise to Tara would also better connect it to the city's public transport network and make the journey to the airport much more convenient by train for people in NI.

I'm glad they didn't listen to you when they developed GCD station because IE seem to manage just fine with terminal services there.

You're right of course, and the knowledge is always appreciated.