Trams/Light Rail in the UK and Ireland

[lunar47]

Interesting idea for a Tram-train based "Crossrail" in Cardiff.....
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/busines...1466-32526982/

[richiek83]

Originally Posted by Leeds No.1

I thought Metro North had been cancelled and there was only a commitment to linking the two parts of the LUAS system?

Metro North has been postponed until the next Capital Development Plan which is due from 2016 to 2021. The Government stated that they could only give one Public Transport Project the go-ahead. They announced last year that it was the LUAS City Centre link. Both Metro North and DART Underground have been postponed until Public Finances improve (could be waiting!!!). Both Metro North and DART Underground are ready to go shovel ready schemes, that being they have cleared all planning hurdles (a feat in itself in Ireland). Over €100 million has already been spent on Metro North. Two of them will go ahead, the question is when. Both are PPP's so it all depends on the Financial future of Ireland Inc. They are both critical for the Long-Term development of Dublin, they will change the face of Public Transport in Dublin which is abysmal albeit with some improvements in the last ten years. Greater Dublin will have a population of over two million within the next 10 to 15 years. Unfortunately, I bet that decisions on the two mentioned projects above will only be made when the transport problem gets critical again which it will

[Accura4Matalan]

Originally Posted by richiek83

They are both critical for the Long-Term development of Dublin, they will change the face of Public Transport in Dublin which is abysmal albeit with some improvements in the last ten years.

In fairness, the level of improvement in Dublin's public transport network over the past decade has far surpassed any comparable efforts in similar UK sized cities. Perhaps the most significant aspect of this is the retention of the structure being handled by the local authorities, rather than being handed to private companies.
Dublin's problems are now quickly becoming more like London's - with many commuters living in smaller towns outside the city and commuting in, and again like London, lacking the road capacity within the city to handle such traffic. What London (and the South East) has which Dublin doesn't is massive mainline rail capacity and coverage. I believe that part of the overall strategy of the DART interconnector was to allow the system to expand. To me, this would seem to be the priority over Metro North.

[Kolothos]

The major benefit of the Metro is that it's easier to construct than new dart lines, Metro West looks like more of a tram line.

The two modes definitely complement each other.

[richiek83]

Originally Posted by Accura4Matalan

In fairness, the level of improvement in Dublin's public transport network over the past decade has far surpassed any comparable efforts in similar UK sized cities. Perhaps the most significant aspect of this is the retention of the structure being handled by the local authorities, rather than being handed to private companies.
Dublin's problems are now quickly becoming more like London's - with many commuters living in smaller towns outside the city and commuting in, and again like London, lacking the road capacity within the city to handle such traffic. What London (and the South East) has which Dublin doesn't is massive mainline rail capacity and coverage. I believe that part of the overall strategy of the DART interconnector was to allow the system to expand. To me, this would seem to be the priority over Metro North.

You're quite right, there has been substantial improvements in Dublin's Public Transport. However, we still have a largely disjointed network with two tram lines not linked up yet. Completion is due for 2017, the City Centre link with terminate at a commuter rail station on the Maynooth/ Sligo Line. We're still left with vast swathes of the North Dublin without any proper Light Rail/ Metro or Heavy Rail link. This is what Metro North was to address. DART Underground was to link the rail line to the South and West of the Country to the Northern Line towards Belfast. The DART will expand to a two line system from Maynooth to Bray (Line 1) and Hazelhatch/ Celbridge to Balbriggan/ Drogheda via DART Underground taking in City Centre stations (Line 2), it is similar in what it will do to London's Crossrail albeit on a smaller scale.

The grand plan was for big underground interchange at St Stephen's Green where Metro North will meet DART Underground. To be honest, DART Underground probably would be the priority as it links two commuter lines. It is my opinion that two are needed to ensure that both are a success. The two projects both have very favourable business cases even after our economic collapse. Metro North will show a economic return of nearly 2:1 while DU will show a return of 2.4:1. I'd imagine that the business cases would show that massive interchange between both modes at Stephen's Green. Without one of these projects, the economic return would be reduced somewhat.

To sum up, DU is a PPP project but is being put forward by Irish Rail (Semi-State) who will pay back the cost over many decades. Metro North is a PPP which will be financed Privately with annual payments from the Govt for 30-40 years. It will be operated by a Private Company and not a semi-state. Had the previous party, Fianna Fail returned to power two years ago, Metro North would probably have gone to construction last year. It was part included in the Four Year Recovery Plan which was agreed with the Troika.

On a side note, passenger numbers on the two LUAS lines in 2012 was 29.4 million, up from 29.0 million in 2011. This was despite a six day closure of the red line due to a fire in June 2012. Numbers would probably have been closer to 30 million. This is despite every other public transport network providers showing declining passenger numbers in 2012. It shows the appetite is there for a reliable light rail service.