DART+ (DART Expansion)

I suggest a possible timeline for Dublin, all (I hope) related to the effect that the expansion of the DART project will have:

A broad, long-term – and perhaps achievable - plan for Dublin, given the stately pace at which at which public transport projects happen in Ireland, might be something like this:

1. Now, until 2030: the metrolink, linking Swords, the Airport, and other Northern suburbs, with the city centre (via somewhere that needs regeneration, specifically the area in the city around Mountjoy Square) and, say, Rathmines; a tramline to link Peter Place and Baggot Street Bridge, hopefully with an eventual extension to Grand Canal, to reduce pressure on the LUAS Green Line south of the canal; And a LUAS line to Finglas, hopefully built in such a way that it can be upgraded to a metro-standard service;

2. 2030-2040: extension of the metrolink to Firhouse/Knocklyon, and a metrolink spur to Walkinstown from somewhere like Camden Street; and construction of the DART Underground, hopefully via a very central location like College Green;

3. 2040-2050: another Northside metrolink route, this time a spur between Mountjoy Square and Coolock, then heading west to/from the Airport – ensuring that many lower densiity suburbs south of the Airport and Swords but North of the river have a very fine, adequate, efficient and appropriate service; and construction of a tunnel between St. Stephen’s Green and Broadstone, probably via the Christchurch station on the DART Undrground route, mentioned in point 2;

4. 2050-2060: Insertion of the southside Green Line into this tunnel to/from Broadstone, and construction of a LUAS line along the N11, with an eventual view toward putting this LUAS into the tunnel; start construction of a heavy rail route, East of Clonsilla, to link with with the Hazelhatch line somewhere, perhaps around ParkWest, to eventually perform some or many of the functions of the Metrowest and deliver people from Maynooth, Leixlip and several western suburbs directly into/from the city, via the DART Underground tunnel;

5. 2060-2070: extend the metro service from the new St. Stephen’s Green – Broadstone tunnel, which would include LUAS services to/from the Stillorgan Road and the current southside Green Line, to Finglas, and to Clonsilla (the emerging metrowest-esque service provided by the Maynooth line). The Clonsilla bit would require relaying of tracks, but since the Sligo line, and Maynooth and Dunboyne services, could now be removed from this corridor as they would be going to/from Heuston, this shouldn’t be a major problem;

6. 2070-2080: construction of a heavy rail line linking Tallaght and Clondalkin with the heavy rail into/out of the city, aka the DART Underground; construction of Dublin’s third metro line, linking Walkinstown with the Glass Bottle site, via Heuston (to link with the DART), somewhere around Church Street (to link with the Sandyford/N11 metro), O’Connell Street (to link with currently proposed metro), Connolly (to link with the Maynooth/Clonsilla – Southside DART), Spencer Dock (again to link with the DART) and so on.

I am aware that adding Dublin’s southside DART line further into this mix isn’t in any way essential. But it could be very desirable, when the very important work of public transport for the whole city has been essentially done

Pete, can you answer some of the questions posed recently, on this thread, in relation to how the DART Underground will/would fit in with what you are saying, if that DART project eventually happens.

And I don't have my own thread.

I started a thread about alternatives to the metrolink, and I have also posted several times on a thread about possible alternatives to the DART Underground route.

Both are threads that I often posted on. I hope I have never been a poster on those threads who, at any stage, attempted to drown out other points of view.

donvito99 wrote: »

Your train of thought is more circuitous than either DU or ML (still don't know which one you're talking about) could ever be.

Yes, and my apologies Donvito99 for perhaps being a bit long-winded sometimes. It's part of my make-up, I suppose.

I live outside of Ireland, and I'm just curious to know whether the Dart Underground will be built, and - if it is built - where and how it will be built, and how it will interact with the proposed metro line, or hopefully metro lines, and how it might eventually have an impact on some currently unserved suburbs.

Consonata wrote: »

By your own (rather optimistic) timeline, the earliest at which Dart Undergound could be in the mid to late 2030s if not into the 2040s. Metrolink as is planned at the moment is projected to finish at 2027. So for the first 10 years of operation at least Metrolink won't have any heavy rail connection under your plan south of Drumcondra for the added benefits of having a station at CG and Grafton st. (CG which is a 12 minute walk at best from Tara St. Station, and SSG/Grafton a 5 minute walk from SSG East.)

What are the benefits here and are they worth at least 10 years worth of substandard service?

Yes indeed, that is essentially the question I'm asking, which is why I have used the phrase 'If the DART Underground is built' in most of my recent posts.

With metrolink, under the current plans, links with the 'southside' DART, Maynooth and Hazelhatch lines are already planned at locations outside the city centre, so 3 of the 4 heavy rail lines are all fine, as far as connections with metrolink are concerned.

The question is basically about the fourth line, the Northern DART, which would be likely to see the largest changes if a line similar to the former DART Underground proposal were to be built.

And I should say that I'd have no major problem with a DART Underground route going via Tara Street.

It, like College Green, is pretty much in the centre of the city. College Green has advantages like the fact that is hopefully going to be pedestrianised and could be a wonderful space, still retaining a major public transport function, and would probably allow the most efficient passenger uptake in the entire city.

Tara Street wouldn't be as good, in terms of efficiency of passenger uptake, but it could still be pretty good. I'd broadly welcome it.