[Article] DART line should be extended

[roamling]

Fingal Independent,
By Fergal MADDOCK
Wednesday September 23 2009

http://www.fingal-independent.ie/new...d-1893097.html

DART line should be extended

THE opportunity presented by the collapse of the railway line should be used to extend the DART line to Donabate and to create a walkway and cycle paths across the estuary.

Councillors have demanded that the issue be raised with Iarnród Éireann.

Speaking at the meeting, Mayor of Fingal Cllr Ciaran Byrne asked how confident could people be that that the restored viaduct would be safe, given the fact that in an inspection carried out the day prior to the incident, the bridge appeared safe.

He said: 'only by the grace of God, hundreds of people would have been drowned in the most horrible fashion.'

Cllr Gerry McGuire (Lab) said it was very fortunate that there were no fatalities. ' The repairs present an ideal opportunity to implement Fingal County Council's objective for a coastal walkway.

'For very little additional money we could get a coastal walkway and a cycle way as a gesture of goodwill. It could be done straight away. It is also an opportunity to electrify the railway to Donabate.'

Cllr Eoghan O'Brien (FF) said there was now an opportunity to deliver an objective of the Development Plan to provide the walkway and cycle paths between Malahide and Donabate. County Manager David O'Connor said he was behind everything the councillors had suggested.

' We are keeping a close eye on this and Iarnród Éireann are being extraordinarily co-operative.'

He said there could be an opportunity at short notice to progress these demands through a Part 8 procedure and he would inform councillors as it happened.

- Fergal MADDOCK