That's right, it's back on the agenda!


DART airport plan on track as Metro North hits the buffers

By Paul Melia
Tuesday May 03 2011

THE high-profile €2.5bn Metro North project is set to be shelved in favour of a 20-year-old plan to build an extension of the DART line to Dublin Airport, the Irish Independent has learned.

The Government has ordered Iarnrod Eireann to update the 1991 plan to build a 6.5km spur just after Clongriffin DART Station to the airport.

It is estimated the overground rail project would cost just €300m and provide a high-speed link-up to the city centre at a fraction of the cost of the underground Metro plan.

The move comes amid major concerns about funding the €2.5bn Metro North light-rail system, which was due to run from St Stephen's Green to Swords via the airport.

The DART extension was first mooted in 1991 by Iarnrod Eireann and Aer Rianta.

It was later suggested in 2005 as part of the Government's ambitious Transport 21 programme, but rejected at the time in favour of Metro North.

However, the Government has now ordered the rail company to revisit the plan because it is an affordable solution to providing Dublin Airport with a rail link to the city centre.

Under the revised plan, DART trains would run from Dublin Airport every 15 minutes from 5am to 1am, reaching Pearse or Connolly stations in just over 20 minutes.

The airport DART station would be built next to the airport terminals and would enable travellers from as far away as Greystones, Co Wicklow, to travel direct to the airport on trains.

Land costs would be minimal, as much of the land needed is agricultural and undeveloped, and there would be no need to buy extra trains.

Passengers numbers are expected at 10,000 a day and a park-and-ride site could be built nearby, probably close to the M1 motorway, to allow commuters from Swords to use the service to and from the city.

This and the airport terminus would be the only new stations on the line.

Total construction costs are estimated at €300m, including the cost of purchasing land, and the project could be completed in just three years. Up to 3,000 jobs would be created.

Design

"There's a lot of detailed design and a planning application needed," an Iarnrod Eireann spokesman said.

Transport Minister Leo Varadkar last week said just one of three major capital investment projects would go ahead from DART Underground (€2bn), Metro North (€2.5bn) or the link-up of the two Luas lines, called BXD.

But he also added a fourth project into the decision process -- the DART airport link.

"It is not a new proposal and has been raised before. . . However, if we cannot proceed with Metro North on the basis of cost, it may be a viable alternative," Mr Varadkar told the Irish Independent last night.

"Cost will be a very important consideration when deciding on future investments. We must ensure that any new project is affordable."

Both DART Underground and Metro North are due to be financed under Public Private Partnerships (PPP), where the private sector builds the lines and the State repays the cost over time. But sourcing funding is difficult because of the economic situation.

Mr Varadkar added: "In the absence of available PPPs, upcoming projects will have to be on a smaller scale, with costs running to hundreds of millions of euros rather than billions."

The Government has ordered a review of the capital spending programme which will be completed in the autumn, but it is understood a decision on the airport link could be made before the summer.

- Paul Melia

Independent.ie (http://www.independent.ie/national-news/dart-airport-plan-on-track-as-metro-north-hits-the-buffers-2635349.html)

It is a logical plan BUT it's not as simple as Mr Varadkar seems to think - the track would surely have to be quaded between Howth Junction and Connolly. That will hurt him alone costing hundreds and hundreds of millions. Resignalling of the entire line would also have to take place. That project would cost, in my view AT LEAST 1.5 billion in total (just to add 6 km's of railway line!). I suspect IE will make this very clear to him.

I don't mind if Metro North is delayed but this proposal is nowhere near as advanced and we need a rail link to the airport ASAP. Enabling works for Metro should proceed immediately IMO at any rate for the time being.

How much Luas would €3bn buy you? Any chance of shelving the Metro North and Interconnector in lieu of an extensive tram system along the lines of what Manchester is putting up now. I think Manchester (a similar sized conurbation) is getting 4 new tram lines including a link to the airport for around £1 bn stirling.

Hey

Odlum, you are right about one thing, the Northern main-line out of Connolly will need to be triple tracked at least, with 4 tracks being a prefered option. Afterall, its already causing delays to the Enterprise service as the "express" trains get stuck behind local services.

I think you are wrong on the cost though. €1.5 Billion is completely over the top even considering that CPOs for property will be necessary.

Many people are actually asking the same question as yourself IBEH, and the answer is that Luas just doesn't have the capacity of Metro or DART. 3 Luas lines were actually planned at the initial stages including one to Ballymun and the Airport, but aparently it just couldn't deliver in terms of maximum passenger numbers.

I would look at the whole senario like this, its obvious that the finances are an issue. So, whatever permutation of projects allows more the one to be built would be the best. If an Airport spur on the DART line allows the Interconnector or the Luas line joining to be completed also I think that is important. Granted alot of work (and expense) has already gone into Metro, but, IMO the interconnector would actually be a more beneficial project for the "National" transportation network.

C

I'm really not surprised by this. My only objection is that the whole thing will have to go through our tedious planning system again from scratch, not to mention all the consultants reports, objections and everything else. So ridiculous the whole thing- going back to a plan first mooted years ago. This could have been built a long, long time ago. The indecision in this country is unbelievable, and its a wonder how anything every gets built.
Luas line BXD is the only one they say is affordable at the moment, and will probably be completed before this.

Actually if the plan is now going to be a DART extension to the airport, why not extend it on to Swords also? You're only talking about a few kms of extra track.

If this goes ahead, it should only be in conjunction with the advancement of dart underground, and at the expense of metro north.

If the plan is for this only to go ahead, then absolutely nothing has been resolved, apart from clogging up the network even more, and bringing even more people to parts of the city centre that they don't want to go!!!:bash:

Frank McDonald must be beside himself:


Transport review may look at old plan for rail spur from Dart to airport

FRANK McDONALD, Environment Editor

Wed, May 04, 2011

A REVIEW of transport investment priorities may result in 20-year plans to serve Dublin airport with a rail spur from the Dart line being revived as an alternative to the Metro North project.

A spokesman for Iarnród Éireann confirmed yesterday that it had been requested by the Department of Transport to provide further details on the proposed rail spur which would branch off the Malahide Dart line at Clongriffin.

In the Dáil on April 20th, Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar said a Dart extension to the airport and Swords was one of the options being “rated according to their contribution to economic and transport objectives, including employment potential”.

The other projects included in the current review are Metro North, which would run from St Stephen’s Green to Swords; Dart Underground, a tunnel linking Heuston with the Docklands; and a city centre link between the two existing Luas lines.

“Notwithstanding funding difficulties, I will seek to ensure that at least one of these projects will proceed. I will examine all realistic options for delivery, including on an incremental, phased basis if possible, with the involvement of private funding, the Minister said.

He told Dessie Ellis TD (SF) that the reason Metro North and Dart Underground were to be public-private partnership (PPP) projects was that “even during the boom no one thought it would be possible for the exchequer to spend the billions of euro needed to pay for them”.

No estimate for the 16km Metro North has been officially released, but it is likely to cost €3 billion, mainly because 10km of the line would be underground.

The estimate for Dart Underground has been put at €2 billion, although it could cost more.

“The two projects, if they are to proceed, can only do so as PPPs. If we did not have the funds for them during the boom out of taxpayers’ money, we definitely do not have the money now,” Mr Varadkar said.

However, he added that it would be possible for the city centre Luas link or a Dart extension to Dublin airport to go ahead with exchequer funds “because they are much less expensive than the other two projects”. Each has a price tag of about €400 million.

The proposed Luas link, known as BXD, would run from the current terminus at St Stephen’s Green through the city centre, via College Green, Westmoreland Street and O’Connell Street, and onwards to Broombridge, via the disused midland railway line.

The Dart spur would branch off the Malahide Dart line at Clongriffin and run to Dublin airport and onwards to Swords. The Minister accepted that plugging it into an already busy rail section could cause congestion problems.

© 2011 The Irish Times (http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0504/1224296003869.html)


He's dropped his estimate cost of Metro North from €4.5 billion to €3 billion, though!

I hope this project does NOT go ahead!!!! I'm really not liking this alternative option!

If they wanna build a railway system from the airport, they might as well postpone MN and build it when the economy starts growing again!! If they spend money on a project, they should try & do it right! This Dart extension would be a bad bad bad idea in my opinion...

Makes alot of sense. MN was a FF vanity project. Let's get over ourselves, leave the Celtic Tiger attitudes behind and do what makes sense.

Spur the line after Clongriffin and basically run the track horizontally across open fields straight to the airport. Even if it's only a interim solution for 15 years untill NM can be funded it makes sense. The airport desperately needs a rapid transit connection, bus and taxi companies are ripping the arse out of people to and from the airport. If I was a tourist arriving at DUB and realized I had to pay a 30 Euro taxi fare to the city centre or sit on a bus for 40 minutes I'd be slightly disappointed.

And anyway... the track from Malahide will have to be quaded sometime soon because people aren't going to put up with the journey times and delays caused by overcapacity. For example I've had occasions on the Enterprise where it takes over 30 minutes from Malahide to Connelly because of the over capacity.

This gives us an opportunity to improve the DART services, Intercity, Commuter and also add a airport connection in one go. Also allows people from South County Dublin and Wicklow the ability to travel straight to the airport where even MN didn't offer this.

Makes alot of sense. MN was a FF vanity project. Let's get over ourselves, leave the Celtic Tiger attitudes behind and do what makes sense.

Spur the line after Clongriffin and basically run the track horizontally across open fields straight to the airport. Even if it's only a interim solution for 15 years untill NM can be funded it makes sense. The airport desperately needs a rapid transit connection, bus and taxi companies are ripping the arse out of people to and from the airport. If I was a tourist arriving at DUB and realized I had to pay a 30 Euro taxi fare to the city centre or sit on a bus for 40 minutes I'd be slightly disappointed.

And anyway... the track from Malahide will have to be quaded sometime soon because people aren't going to put up with the journey times and delays caused by overcapacity. For example I've had occasions on the Enterprise where it takes over 30 minutes from Malahide to Connelly because of the over capacity.

This gives us an opportunity to improve the DART services, Intercity, Commuter and also add a airport connection in one go. Also allows people from South County Dublin and Wicklow the ability to travel straight to the airport where even MN didn't offer this.

Yes I like ur plan but just to let u know people from wicklow could just hop off at connoly and back on to the metro north after a lttle walk :P isnt that they're main philoshphy? To make an interconnected network of different types of transport :)

I dont like the idea of this.
I think we should build metro north andthe underground cause if we want to be a world class economic city well then we will need to have a good fast metro.
P.S I thinl odlum333 should be transport minister and minister for finance LOL!!!!!!!!!!!

It is a logical plan BUT it's not as simple as Mr Varadkar seems to think - the track would surely have to be quaded between Howth Junction and Connolly. That will hurt him alone costing hundreds and hundreds of millions. Resignalling of the entire line would also have to take place. That project would cost, in my view AT LEAST 1.5 billion in total (just to add 6 km's of railway line!). I suspect IE will make this very clear to him.

I don't mind if Metro North is delayed but this proposal is nowhere near as advanced and we need a rail link to the airport ASAP. Enabling works for Metro should proceed immediately IMO at any rate for the time being.

You should be the new transport minister and minister for finance LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They may need to redesign one station.

The government seem to be favouring this project now...


DART airport link cost cut to €200m
Irish Rail says new line could be built quickly for less than 10pc of Metro bill

By Paul Melia
Saturday July 16 2011

CONSTRUCTION of a new DART line to Dublin Airport will cost just €200m, less than one-tenth the cost of Metro North, the Irish Independent has learned.

Iarnrod Eireann will tell Transport Minister Leo Varadkar in the coming weeks that the cost of building the 6.5km DART spur would be significantly lower than expected because of falling land prices and lower construction costs.

The new line could be operational within four years.

The lower cost and rapid delivery of a high-speed rail link from the airport to the city means the project is more likely to be approved by the cash-strapped government.

A review of the capital spending programme is under way and will be completed in September, after which a decision will be made on which of the four projects -- Metro North, DART underground, DART airport and link-up of the two Luas lines -- will go ahead.

Last May the Irish Independent revealed that the Government had ordered Iarnrod Eireann to update a 1991 plan to build a spur from Clongriffin Station to the airport.

The move came amid concerns that the State could not afford a €2.5bn Metro North project from the city centre to Swords via the airport, and that an extension of the DART network could be the cheaper option.

A new business case for the project will be submitted to the Department of Transport and National Transport Authority by the end of the month setting out construction costs, expected number of passengers, timeline for delivery and frequency of services to be provided.

A site for a station has been identified at Dublin Airport, within a five-minute walk of both terminals.

"Iarnrod Eireann expects to submit a business case proposal to the Department of Transport and National Transport Authority for the DART airport link at the end of this month," an Iarnrod Eireann spokesman said.

"Initial indications are that the cost of the 6.5km rail link from the airport to Clongriffin, which would provide direct DART services between the airport and the city centre, will come in significantly lower than previously estimated, in the region of €200m in total."

This is €100m less than previously thought. Up to 2,000 jobs will be created if the project is approved.

The airport link would integrate with the DART and commuter network, and would allow airport passengers to change for Belfast services at Clongriffin, to continue into the city centre or to board northbound services to Howth and Malahide.

Trains would operate from the airport to Dublin Connolly and Pearse stations every 15 minutes, with a journey time of 25 minutes into the city. There would be no impact on existing services because Iarnrod Eireann is upgrading the signalling system, allowing 20 trains to use the line every hour compared with 12 at present.

Passenger numbers are expected at 10,000 a day and a park-and-ride site could be built nearby to allow commuters from Swords to use the service.

- Paul Melia

Independent.ie (http://www.independent.ie/national-news/dart-airport-link-cost-cut-to-euro200m-2823282.html)


...

Anyone have a sketch of the line or is it just a big S curve from Clongriffen to the airport.
Where exactly are they planning the Dart airport station? Is it underground and can it be easily extended northwards towards Swords and possibly Portmarnoc and the main railline north?

I can see this being given the go-ahead while MN is postponed or cancelled.


An important issue is the cost of loan interest for Irish capital investment projects, which has increased significantly.

Sooner it is done the better! Digrace getting from the airport to the city and the detour the 747 bus takes is even more of a joke. MN is never gonna happen, not in the next 15 years!

My granny came over from London and said she had to get three buses to where I live and it took her an hour and a half but she also said that when in London, she hoped on the Heathrow Express and was there in fiftheen minutes and the same from Heathrow.
What does that say about are transport to theres.
I know London is huge but we should still have something simular to that going into the city.

Looks like this idea is dead.


Metro North and Dart Underground 'deferred'

FRANK McDONALD, Environment Editor

Fri, Aug 12, 2011

METRO NORTH and Dart Underground are to be dropped by the Government next month following a comprehensive review by Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar of “big ticket” transport projects.

According to well-placed sources, the two schemes will be “deferred” indefinitely on the basis that neither can be funded in the current climate, even under public-private partnership (PPP) arrangements.

Even though construction costs are considerably lower than they were during the boom and estimates for Metro North were a closely guarded secret, it is believed the scheme would cost at least €3 billion.

Given that Dart Underground – billed as the “missing link” that would transform Dublin’s disparate suburban rail services into a network – was likely to cost €2 billion, the combined total would be €5 billion-plus.

For political reasons, the term “deferred” will be used, rather than “abandoned” or “cancelled”, with Mr Varadkar holding out hope that both could be built when economic conditions improve.

CIÉ’s proposal for a rail spur to Dublin airport from the Dart line at Clongriffin in north Dublin is also widely seen as a non-runner. “It’s a daft idea and the cost would be enormous,” one source said.

But the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) is optimistic that the Government will go ahead with plans for a city centre link between the existing Luas lines, with a spur to Broombridge on the Maynooth line.

The link, known as Luas Line BXD, has already been the subject of an oral hearing by An Bord Pleanála and the board’s approval for a railway order to facilitate its construction could be issued as early as next month.

It would run from St Stephen’s Green via Dawson Street, Nassau Street, lower Grafton Street, College Green, Westmoreland Street, O’Connell Street and then on to Broombridge on a currently disused rail line.

The line would be split in the city centre, with southbound trams running via Marlborough Street across a new bridge to Hawkins Street and College Street before rejoining the main route in College Green.

“If there are no further cutbacks, BXD would fit within the reduced capital spending envelope for transport projects, primarily because of its affordability,” an RPA source told The Irish Times yesterday.

“The Government is keen to stimulate the engineering sector and BXD could be done from its own resources. But the bigger capital projects [Metro North and Dart Underground] will have to be deferred,” he said.

Another source said PPP projects for the metro and Dart schemes would involve “crazy money” to service the debt. Interest rates would be “prohibitive”, especially with the financial markets in turmoil now.

This is recognised by the final two bidders for the Metro North PPP, the Celtic Metro Group, which includes Mitsui and Barclays Private Equity, and Metro Express, which includes Bombardier and Macquarie.

RPA chief executive Frank Allen, whose term of office was due to end this month, has had his contract extended for a further year, pending the agency’s proposed merger with the National Roads Authority.

The RPA has spent nearly €200 million on preparatory work for Metro North, which would run from St Stephen’s Green to Swords, via Dublin airport. The project was finally approved by An Bord Pleanála last October.

© 2011 The Irish Times (http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0812/1224302301839.html)

I'm saddened (but not surprised) about MN and Dart Underground, but I have to say, thank god this isn't going ahead. :lol:

Someone hasn't told Iarnród Éireann, I think!


DART to the Airport - Project Overview by Corporate Communications

DART Airport link - Overview

The proposal: A 7 kilometre spur from the DART line at Clongriffin to the Airport, delivering direct Airport to city centre DART services.

The service: A frequent, regular interval DART service in both directions from 05.00hrs to 01.00hrs, running from Airport to Bray/Greystones, serving all stations. Airport to city centre journey time of 25 minutes.

When, and how much? The line could be opened by 2016, and the investment would be €200 million approximately.

Who would benefit and use the service? It would benefit customers including:

- Customers travelling from the Greater Dublin area to the Airport

- Customers on the Intercity network arriving at Connolly (one change) or at Heuston (connect to Luas to Connolly, then DART to Airport)

- Air passengers arriving on flights to Dublin Airport

- Staff at Dublin Airport living on the DART and Commuter network, and those visiting places of business at the Airport



How would it connect with other rail services? Connections would be provided as follows:

- Direct service to all stations between Clongriffin and Bray/Greystones, serving locations such as the city centre, the Aviva Stadium and the IFSC directly.

- Connect to Portmarnock and Malahide, Northern commuter and Belfast Enterprise by changing at Clongriffin

- Connect to Red Line Luas and Heuston Station by changing at Connolly

- Connect to Intercity services to Sligo and Rosslare by changing at Connolly

Map of DART Airport link in context of existing network (http://www.irishrail.ie/images/upload/news/Dublin_Network_with_Airport_link.pdf)



Would we need more trains? A service every 15 minutes could be provided within the existing DART fleet.



Has a route been identified? The main alignment has been identified from Clongriffin to the Airport site, as it passes underneath the flightpath. This means that this land has not been developed, and the route could be built without impacting on commercial or residential interests, or other infrastructure.

Iarnród Éireann has commenced preliminary discussions with the Dublin Airport Authority to identify preferred alignments within the airport site.



Has a station location at the Airport been identified? Iarnród Éireann has commenced preliminary discussions with the Dublin Airport Authority to identify preferred alignments and a station location within the airport site. It is intended to ensure that a station location would serve both terminals.



What does it mean for existing DART and Commuter services? As Iarnród Éireann is currently undertaking a project to resignal the line from Clongriffin to Grand Canal Dock, which will be complete by 2013, this will increase the maximum number of trains to/from the city centre from 12 trains per hour in each direction to 20 trains per hour in each direction.

Therefore, DART trains every 15 minutes in each direction to/from the Airport could be accommodated while leaving scope for further expansion on other routes.



What does this mean for DART Underground? The DART Airport link complements the goal of DART Underground to achieve a high frequency connected network.

Should the DART Airport link be developed, the subsequent development of DART Underground would deliver direct DARTs from the Airport to Heuston Station via Spencer Dock, Pearse Station, St Stephen’s Green and Christchurch, linking Intercity, DART, Commuter and Luas together.

Map of DART Airport link in post-DART Underground scenario (http://www.irishrail.ie/images/upload/news/Dublin_Network_with_DU_Airport_link.pdf)



What happens next? Iarnród Éireann has commissioned AECOM to produce a Business Case for the DART Airport link, subject to Department of Transport guidelines and criteria.

This will be completed later in August 2011, and will be submitted to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, and the National Transport Authority. A decision by the Government on capital investment priorities is expected this Autumn.

IrishRail.ie (http://www.irishrail.ie/news_centre/news.asp?action=view&news_id=1180)

OK, so i'm curious.. I'm not sure if i've used the dart, maybe ages ago (dont actually live in ireland)..

Is this DART airport extension going to be similar to the train stations from downtown manchester, to manchester airport? Similar type solution?

Heres a video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U72n4vKqBLE&feature=related) of the DART.
In this map (http://www.irishrail.ie/images/upload/news/Dublin_Network_with_Airport_link.pdf), the DART line is green with the proposed Airport line at the top. According to the plan it is a straight forward spur off the existing DART line with the only station being at the Airport.
According to Irish Rail, Direct DART service from the Airport will serve all stations between Clongriffin and Bray/Greystones, If you are on the DART from Portmarnock and Malahide, you have to change trains at Clongriffin.

Anyway, I am certain it will not happen. Metro North (http://www.youtube.com/user/RPALuasMetro#p/u/32/HgwYT_4Pr9k) is still required. So this short term solution isn't sutable for medium to long term needs of the Dublin area and would be a waste of money. The DART underground (http://www.youtube.com/user/IrishRailAds) project is also required.
:)

Dart airport link cheaper than metro, report says

FRANK McDONALD, Environment Editor

Fri, Sep 02, 2011

A DART spur to Dublin airport from the existing north line at Clongriffin would cost €200 million – a fraction of estimates for Metro North – and deliver an “exceptionally high” economic return, according to consultants for Iarnród Éireann.

The railway company has submitted a business case for the seven-kilometre link to Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar and the National Transport Authority, with a view to having it included in the Government’s revised capital programme.

The business case, prepared by AECOM and Goodbody Economic Consultants, found the project would deliver economic benefits of up to €1 billion – or nearly five times its cost, excluding Vat.

The consultants forecast the number of passengers travelling by Dart would increase by 9.4 million passengers per annum.

This would result in an almost 50 per cent increase over current use of Dart services.

It would attract “substantial day-long demand” and yield “significant tourism, business and environmental benefits”.

Fare revenue would “comfortably exceed operating costs” and the airport link would also complement the Dart underground project.

The report notes that Dublin Airport is a “major source of employment and trip-making”, comparable in scale to a substantial urban area. Employment in its environs is predicted to rise to 20,000 persons and the number of passengers to 38 million a year by 2030.

The proposed Dart link would be largely in greenfield, thus minimising both capital costs and disruption during the construction phase. It would enable direct services between the airport to the city centre and all stations to Greystones.

Other locations that would be served include the Aviva Stadium at Lansdowne Road, the National Convention Centre and IFSC. The link would also connect with the Dart lines to Malahide and Howth, the Luas Red Line, mainline rail services and Busáras.

The alignment from Clongriffin would pass underneath the airport’s main flight path and, as the consultants note, this land has not been developed for safety reasons. Thus, the link could be built “without impacting on commercial or residential interests”.

Equally, however, the proposed Dart spur would not serve any community along the way; indeed, no intermediate stations are envisaged. Nor would the significant population of Swords be served.

Iarnród Éireann said yesterday it “has commenced preliminary discussions with the Dublin Airport Authority to identify preferred alignments and station locations within the airport site”, but gave no indication whether tunnelling would be required.

© 2011 The Irish Times (http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0902/1224303348824.html)


Talk about the most obvious headline you could imagine...

I actually wouldn't mind seeing this project sometime in the future - along with Metro North and DART Underground, of course!

€200m DART plan proposed to link city, airport
Updated: 07:23, Friday, 2 September 2011

Iarnród Éireann has submitted a business case for a DART rail link to Dublin Airport to the Minister for Transport.



Airport journey time estimated at 25 minutes

Iarnród Éireann has submitted a business case for a DART rail link to Dublin Airport to Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar.

The project, costing an estimated €200 million, would deliver direct services to the city centre through the construction of a 7km rail line from Clongriffin to the airport.


RTE

Will they just make a decision on something FFS. So sick of all these reports. Is it no wonder that nothing ever gets built with all this debating and indecision? anyway this would have to go through detailed design stage, fuck knows how many more consultants reports before finally going through our vile planning process, so it will be years before anything comes through to fruition.

I thought that the DART Airport extention had been definatively ruled out?!

Is this just a case of CIE/Irish Rail pushing an agenda, because, Metro and Luas would be controled by independent (private sector) companies!

C

I thought that the DART Airport extention had been definatively ruled out?!

Is this just a case of CIE/Irish Rail pushing an agenda, because, Metro and Luas would be controled by independent (private sector) companies!

C

The DART extension would require a substantial upgrade of the northern line and/or DART Underground in order to be workable - either of which would cost billions. For this reason it's probably (hopefully!) a non-runner. Plus, it's just an airport link - Metro North creates a brand new public transport corridor that serves (tens of?) thousands of people who have never had a railway link to other parts of the city before.

Pre Metro North were there ever any plans for DART extension to Swords?

Pre Metro North were there ever any plans for DART extension to Swords?

There was to the Airport (originally planned in 1991) but not as far as Swords AFAIK.

My real gripe with this spur project is it services mostly a catchment area that is already spoiled with rail and leaves enormous catchment areas which Metro North is intended to serve untouched.

The DART extension would require a substantial upgrade of the northern line and/or DART Underground in order to be workable - either of which would cost billions. For this reason it's probably (hopefully!) a non-runner. Plus, it's just an airport link - Metro North creates a brand new public transport corridor that serves (tens of?) thousands of people who have never had a railway link to other parts of the city before.

I agree that the airport will will probably require an upgrade of at least parts of the northern line. Improvements by the back door.
The idea that this is JUST an airport link is not correct. From day one, it connects the whole of the present Dart system with direct services to the airport and of course is ready when the Dart Underground is finally built.

The idea that this is JUST an airport link is not correct. From day one, it connects the whole of the present Dart system with direct services to the airport and of course is ready when the Dart Underground is finally built.

I don't doubt that, it does connect a large number of people directly to the airport - but it is a half-assed solution to a bigger problem. As odlum833 said, it serves people already well-served by the DART (and direct bus services to the airport via the Aircoach south of the Liffey - arguably another example of CIÉ's anti-competitive practices). Meanwhile those who live along the Metro North corridor get absolutely nothing. This project would also require (actually, we need it anyway) a big reform of public transport - mainly Dublin Bus - in the city as the airport link would run from 05:00 to 01:00, every day - at the moment the last buses leave the city centre at 23:30. We'd need a proper, 24-hour bus service in order to make this workable - otherwise we'll just be dumping people in the city centre in the middle of the night and expect them to get taxis everywhere.

It also perpetuates the myth that Metro North is 'just' an airport link, even though it's far from it.

Some disturbing news today...


Uncertainty over Dublin transport projects
Updated: 17:15, Friday, 2 September 2011

Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar said the country is in receivership and it is by no means certain that any of the major transport projects for Dublin will be built in the next five years.

He said the Government is considering the different transport options for the capital - including Metro North, DART Underground, the Luas Connector, and the DART link to Dublin Airport.

He says each is being assessed on affordability grounds, on the transport and economic benefit it would have for the city, and how many jobs it would create and hopes that one of the projects can be funded.

The Government will publish a new National Development Plan in the coming weeks, which will clarify which infrastructural projects will go ahead.

Iarnród Éireann has submitted a business case for a DART rail link to Dublin Airport to Minister Varadkar.

The project, costing an estimated €200 million, would deliver direct services to the city centre through the construction of a 7km rail line from Clongriffin to the airport.

The projected journey time is estimated at 25 minutes.

Iarnród Éireann was asked by the Minister for Transport a number of months ago to submit a proposal - the business case was prepared by AECOM and Goodbody Economic Consultants.

The study predicts that such a link to the airport would see the number of passengers travelling by DART increase by more than 50%.

The proposed route from Clongriffin would pass through undeveloped land underneath the flightpath to the airport.

Around 500 jobs a year would be created during the construction of the link.
"Employment in the wider Airport environs is predicted to rise to 20,000 persons and some 38 million air passengers will use the Airport in 2030," according to the submission.

"This economic return is enhanced by the fact that construction of the Link will be largely in green field, thus minimising both the capital costs and the disruption during the construction phase."

Iarnród Éireann spokesperson Barry Kenny said there is a strong case for the project in terms of the tourism, environmental and business benefits.

Story from RTÉ News:
http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0902/transport.html


Given the recent falls in Irish bond yields (and hopefully more to come), could this affect the chances of any or all of these projects being built? Even if we have to wait a few more years, it would be worth it rather than cancelling any of the three 'big' projects.

From a recent Fingal Independent (http://www.fingal-independent.ie/news/airport-link-proposal-a-daft-alternative-to-metro-north-plan-2870770.html):


Airport link proposal a 'daft' alternative to Metro North plan

By JOHN MANNING
Tuesday September 06 2011

A DART spur to Dublin Airport as an alternative to the Metro North line to Swords has been dismissed as a ' daft' idea that will deliver to the county capital ' an old bicycle when what we need is a car'.

Iarnrod Eireann have in the last few days submitted to Government, a business plan for the development of a €200 million spur from the DART line in Clongriffin to Dublin Airport which is detailed in this week's edition of the Fingal Independent. But the proposal will cut off Swords at the knees according to the local campaigners for Metro North who say that the more ambitious project is the only one that can deliver economic growth and jobs to this region.

Cllr. Anne Devitt (FG) said she believes the resurrected proposal to run a DART to Dublin Airport 'is not and will not gain any traction with the minister'. She said it was a 'daft suggestion' and would not deliver on any of the ambitions underlying the Metro North project. In fact, the project would not even deliver shorter journey times to the city centre from Dublin Airport, according to Cllr. Devitt, who said that passengers can already get to the city centre in 25 minutes by using buses that travel through the Port Tunnel.

As such, the controversial proposal is 'obsolete before it starts,' according to the Swords councillor. Cllr. Devitt said that Iarnród Eireann had 'failed to understand' the reasons for Metro North which she said is about ' linking a community with the services they need like educational, medical and employment services'. She said that Metro North was never just about delivering airport passengers to the city centre but about connecting a population of more than 100,000 to 'two universities, three hospitals, Croke Park and a number of other facilities'.

The Fine Gael councillor who admitted she had been angered by the re-emergence of the DART proposal, said that the proposal would not deliver the jobs or the economic growth for Swords and beyond that Metro North promises. Cllr. Ciaran Byrne (Lab) has also rejected out of hand that the DART proposal should be seen as an alternative to Metro North. He said the proposal would only be worth considering if the Metro link from the airport to Swords continued and enabling works for Metro North continued at the Mater Hospital.

- JOHN MANNING