[Article] DART airport plan on track as Metro North hits the buffers

[Jack O'Neill]

Sir,

I wish to address some of the points made by John Stafford in relation to the Metro North project (July 29th).
The fact is that the National Transport Authority is absolutely right to continue to stress the importance of the Metro North and DART Underground projects as the only lasting solution to Dublin’s traffic congestion problems.
Congestion is one of the main urban transportation problems faced by almost all cities and incurs significant costs in terms of wasted time, wasted fuel, lost productivity and high accident rates.
In its report Smarter Cities for Smarter Growth, IBM estimated the annual cost of Dublin city’s traffic congestion to be €4 billion in 2008. Congestion also makes Dublin less attractive for vital inward investment.
The business case for Metro North, which has been independently audited, demonstrates it delivers a net benefit to the Irish economy of well over €1 billion per annum.
Mr Stafford dismisses the passenger forecast as “a mere 34 million”. In fact, this level of patronage will make Metro North the busiest railway line in Ireland by some margin, outstripping the existing hugely successful Luas and DART lines. One only has to look at the destinations being served to understand the importance of Metro North: the high density population centres at Swords, Ballymun and Northwood; four major hospitals; two universities; Croke Park and the retail and business districts in the heart of Dublin’s city centre as well as Dublin airport.
These are all major destinations which generate high levels of transport demand.
Mr Stafford assumes the fares will be set at a high level in order to repay the cost of building the project. This is not the case, and fares on Metro will be similar to those on the rest of the public transport network. – Yours, etc,
TOM MANNING,
Public Relations Manager,
Railway Procurement Agency,
Parkgate Business Centre,
Parkgate Street, Dublin 8.

[Jack O'Neill]

3 more articles in Saturday's Irish Indo - to be fair the reporting was...

1 - Imbalanced
2 - Unbalanced
3 - Nonbalanced

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...t-2841519.html

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...t-2841505.html

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...t-2841516.html

[Mark Gleeson]

Add inaccurate as well

[Thomas Ralph]

Ever since I was in the Indo, I've never read it or taken any account of anything in it.

[Jack O'Neill]

Article Irish Times Today -

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...302301839.html

FRANK McDONALD, Environment Editor

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

[eugene]

Jesus.. what a great county. Lets bail out the bankers and builders but no proper transport network for Dublin and this plan goes back in different forms to the original DART plan of the 1970s.

If this doesn't get build, I'm leaving the country. And everyone's going to vote for Gaybo.. what a place..

[Inniskeen]

Originally Posted by eugene

Jesus.. what a great county. Lets bail out the bankers and builders but no proper transport network for Dublin and this plan goes back in different forms to the original DART plan of the 1970s.

If this doesn't get build, I'm leaving the country. And everyone's going to vote for Gaybo.. what a place..

At least they seem to have seen through the farcical Clongriffin to Dublin Airport proposal.

Going ahead with BXD and onwards might well be the right decision given the strong LUAS performance to date.

[eugene]

Yes that is true of course, minimum link up the Luas links and extend to Broombridge

If the worse comes to the worse, at least resignal the Maynooth Line fully, remove level crossings and build the new stations required..

[ThomasJ]

Originally Posted by eugene

Yes that is true of course, minimum link up the Luas links and extend to Broombridge

If the worse comes to the worse, at least resignal the Maynooth Line fully, remove level crossings and build the new stations required..

100% agreement, pelletstown should be done as soon as possible!

I have the feeling we are going to see a Maynooth line DART service once the resignalling/level crossings aspect is done, helped by the City Centre resignalling, the "clockface" DART tidy-up introduced last year coupled with the tidy-up of Maynooth/M3 services expected later this year, more because of efficiency rather than service improvement, who knows!.......

[eugene]

I live in hope.. even the DARTification of the line with new rolling stock and a depot in Maynooth would be the best fallback scenario..

[Mark Gleeson]

The games have started it appears http://www.irishrail.ie/news_centre/...w&news_id=1180

[ThomasJ]

Does anyone else find it incredibly bizarre that there will be 3 DART lines (if this suggestion was to proceed) operating to Northside areas that are so close to each other?

http://www.irishrail.ie/news_centre/...w&news_id=1180

map: http://www.irishrail.ie/images/uploa...rport_link.pdf

[ThomasJ]

Two important parts to note on why the DU/Maynooth/Northern line electrification and Metro North was

http://www.communityvoice.ie/pages/CV164/CV164n12.htm

Dublin 15 now officially comprises over 100,000 residents according to preliminary results from the 2011 Census of Population.

An analysis of the initial results prepared by Fingal Development Board shows that the population of Blanchardstown grew by 10% since the last census and now stands at 100,894 people making it the biggest single suburb in the Greater Dublin Area and larger than most other cities and towns in the state.

The county population of Fingal has now reached 273,051, an additional 33,059 people since the 2006 Census. This figure represents an increase of 13.8% - almost double the national growth rate of 8.1%.

Commenting on the growth of the county in the past five years, Fingal county manager David O’Connor said “the figures demonstrate the need for the provision of adequate infrastructure and services to support this population increase across all state agencies.

With fewer resources available to the council, it requires a smarter and targeted approach to addressing the needs.”

[comcor]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

The games have started it appears http://www.irishrail.ie/news_centre/...w&news_id=1180

The thing is, the DART Airport spur doesn't make sense without DART Underground.

Between the capacity problems at Connolly and it's failure to integrate with LUAS Green Line and Heuston InterCity, it loses almost every advantage it has.

[Jamie2k9]

From Marks Link:

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.

Flights start at DUB between 5.30 - 6.00 and arrive up to 02.00. (some after that).

Dart needs to start at 03.45 (every 25-30 mins until 5.00) and it should run until 02.00 at least in summer.

Personally it should be 24 hours, train every 30 - 45 mins between Midnight - 5.00am.

6.00 - 7.00 is the bussiest time of the day at the airport and with a DART not starting until 5.00 nobody travling between 6.00 - 7.00 can use the service.

[Colm Moore]

http://www.communityvoice.ie/pages/CV164/CV164n12.htm

Commenting on the growth of the county in the past five years, Fingal county manager David O’Connor ...

... and RPA board member.

http://www.rpa.ie/en/rpa/about/Pages/boardmembers.aspx

[Mark Gleeson]

Originally Posted by Jamie2k9

From Marks Link:



Flights start at DUB between 5.30 - 6.00 and arrive up to 02.00. (some after that).

Dart needs to start at 03.45 (every 25-30 mins until 5.00) and it should run until 02.00 at least in summer.

Personally it should be 24 hours, train every 30 - 45 mins between Midnight - 5.00am.

6.00 - 7.00 is the bussiest time of the day at the airport and with a DART not starting until 5.00 nobody travling between 6.00 - 7.00 can use the service.

The draft schedule has longer opening hours than the comparable Heathrow Express in London. It is still a dream

[outtotime]

Oh God, this is typical of the Irish Government. After all the planning, discussion and promises they just shelve it. I thought they had already started the work on the Metro line. I definitely thought they would go ahead and build it no matter what, even if meant borrowing heavily to fund it. Oh well I suppose I should have expected they would deal with it in this way. Basically go with a cheaper, worse solution that seems to resolve the problem in the short term, but really is just a poor excuse for a solution. The metro would have been a really useful service and they kind of service that almost every other country in Europe has to transport people form the airport to the city centre.

[Colm Moore]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0902/transport.html

Proposed DART link to airport would cost €200m
Updated: 15:29, Friday, 2 September 2011

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

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.

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.

Minister Varadkar has already said only one major transport project is likely to get the go-ahead.

[Colm Moore]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0902/transport.html

Uncertainty over Dublin transport projects
Updated: 21:59, Friday, 2 September 2011

Transport Minister 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.

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.