[Colm Moore]

Continued

...

In complete contrast to Leopardstown and Carrickmines, the rest of the route further south is far less heavily developed.

A t Brennanstown and the Racecourse, further stops were planned, but are not coming into operation for the foreseeable future.

Although trams will stop at Laughanstown, this station is likely to be quiet. It is located at the end of Lehaunstown Road, a long,winding, remote road off Brenannstown Road.

It’s destined to service only a small handful of houses on road for the time being, and is about a 25-minute walk from Cabinteely village. It’s more likely that commuters from Cabinteely will be dropped by car to the stop.

Large-scale development was planned around the Cherrywood stop, but it never happened, for the most part. For the time being, it will be used by the residents of Tullyvale and Gleann Na Rí developments, which will have a pedestrian path across the bridge to the stop. Second-hand two-bedroom apartments in the Tullyvale scheme are for sale for between €200,000 and €260,000, with three-beds on the market for about €335,000.

Two-bed apar tment s in Gleann na Rí are on the market for about €270,000.

A spokesman for the RPA said that, in the case of the Cherrywood stop, development would follow infrastructure, rather than the other way around. ‘‘Certain developments were expected to be there, but they’re not - that’s Ireland in 2010. But we expect development will take place close to the line in the future," he said.

In the meantime, he said he expected that people from areas near Cherrywood - such as Louglinstown, Rathmichael, Shankill and Bray - would begin using the stop off Wyattville Road. However, the lack of a park and ride facility at Cherrywood - or any of the other stops on the extended line - might hinder this.

In contrast to the start of the green line at St Stephen’s Green, the terminus is located on Bride’s Glen Road, a quiet road in Rathmichael close to the Wicklow Mountains.

Location, location, location . . . the extended route and new stops

The route
From Sandyford, the track runs behind Woodies, over the Leopardstown roundabout to the Central Park scheme of apartments beside Bewley’s Hotel. Crossing the M50, its next stop is Glencairn, then it’s on to Ballyogan Road - where there’s three stops, The Gallops, Leopardstown Valley (beside the shops on Glenbourne Road) and Ballyogan Wood. It heads back over the M50 to the Carrickmines stop off Glenamuck Road, then on to Laughanstown and Cherrywood, before coming to an end at Bride’s Glen.

The stops
Central Park: on Leopardstown Road, beneath Vantage apartments, beside Bewley’s Hotel

Glencairn: on Murphystown Road, at the junction of Mount Eagle Park

The Gallops: on Ballyogan Road, at the junction of Glencairn Crsecent, opposite the Elmfield development

Leopardstown Valley: on Ballyogan Road, parallel to the shops on Glenbourne Road Ballyogan Wood: on Ballyogan Road, opposite Ballyogan Wood

Carrickmines: off Glenamuck Road, almost opposite Carrickmines Tennis Club, close to the M50

Laughanstown: on Lehaunstown Road, off Brennanstown Road

Cherrywood: on the Bray Road, off Wyattville Road, between the N11 and M50, beside Tullyvale and Gleann na Rí developments

Bride’s Glen: on Bride’s Glen Road