LUAS stop/route location choices...

[Thomas]

Hi everyone!

This is my first time posting on this site. I'm a grad student at Georgia Tech in Atlanta in the States, and I'm writing a paper on community involvement in the development of the LUAS.

Specifically, I'm trying to find out a few items which I can't find out on the net.

1. How were the LUAS routes chosen? Specifically, did neighbourhood or community groups lobby for or against the routing through their neighbourhood?

2. How were the LUAS stops chosen? Specifically, did neighbourhood or community groups lobby for or against the placement of stops? I imagine, since those who received stops close by stood to gain a tremendous property value windfall, there must have been quite a bit of discussion about this.

3. What has been the official reason for never connecting the lines? I know there are plans to connect them now.

4. Were any specific community groups involved in the LUAS' creation? I guess I'm trying to find specific contacts and such.

Thanks - any additional information you may have is much appreciated!

[Thomas Ralph]

Immediate answers:

1 + 2 = based on contributions from the community and interested parties
3 = Good old-fashioned bad planning
4 I'll leave to the more knowledgeable folks here.

[sean]

1: Don't know about the Red line, but much of the Green line was dictated by the decision to re-use the alignment (Right Of Way) of the old Harcourt Street Railway line. That ran from Harcourt Street, just South of St. Stephens Green, to (what was then) Shanganagh Junction just North of Bray.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harcourt_Street_railway_line

2: No clue

3: I don't know if there ever was an official reason given, I know there was some furore created by City Centre traders who claimed disruption from construction would wreck their business.
In addition, there were at one time plans to convert the Green Line to heavy Metro standards but that since fallen by the wayside. Had that proposal ever been implemented, all the on-street trackage north of Ranelagh or thereabouts would have been made redundant.

4: No clue