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

comcor · 06-05-2011, 09:06

Greater Cork area has a population of 190,000 according to the CSO (and I'm not sure if that figire includes Ballincollig, but we'll say for argument that it does).

My point is that if you take out Swords and the airport, the population along a line that has a route like that is greater (as is the number of students at third level institutions) than the route between Glasnevin and Ballymun.

From Drumcondra south, there is the Sligo line, the LUAS and no great walk to get to the DART.

Swords and the airport get a service under the alternative proposals anyway.

BTW I'm not claiming that a line along that route should be built in Cork, just using it to illustrate that possibly the argument for it in terms of transport on the northside of Dublin isn't as financially strong as some may believe.

Alan French · 09-05-2011, 14:58

If I remember right, one of the earlier reports (about 2000) proposed a railway from Broombridge to the airport, using the free space in the middle of Finglas. This could then continue to Swords. The same report also proposed a tramline via Drumcondra and Ballymun, to link up with this line.

If the aim is to serve the airport as cheaply as possible using branches off the existing lines, this is probably better than a line from Clongriffin. It's not ideal, of course. Because of capacity problems, the trains would probably have to go from Docklands. The junction at Broombridge would be quite complicated.

Of course, I'm still backing Metro North, and I only mention this because if it's a case of "back to the drawing board", this line is an option.

It's strange how changeable public opinion is. In 1994, when the Luas was first proposed, a line to Ballymun was mentioned. No one particularly thought about the airport. Nowadays many people's only concern is about linking the airport - never mind if the other suburbs aren't served! People ask me why they need to go to the expense of tunnelling under north Dublin, when they could easily build a spur from Clongriffin. I reply that it is part of a plan to provide rail or tram links to as many suburbs as possible, not just to link the airport with the city centre.

By the way, I'd have no problem with a tram link from Cork to Ballincollig.

outtotime · 01-09-2011, 09:28

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.

01-09-2011, 09:28	#3
outtotime New to the board Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 4	Typical 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. Last edited by outtotime : 02-09-2011 at 10:28.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Switch to Linear Mode Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

06-05-2011, 09:06	#1
comcor Really Regular Poster Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Cork-Dublin, Cork Commuter and occasionally DART and Dublin-Wexford Posts: 855	Greater Cork area has a population of 190,000 according to the CSO (and I'm not sure if that figire includes Ballincollig, but we'll say for argument that it does). My point is that if you take out Swords and the airport, the population along a line that has a route like that is greater (as is the number of students at third level institutions) than the route between Glasnevin and Ballymun. From Drumcondra south, there is the Sligo line, the LUAS and no great walk to get to the DART. Swords and the airport get a service under the alternative proposals anyway. BTW I'm not claiming that a line along that route should be built in Cork, just using it to illustrate that possibly the argument for it in terms of transport on the northside of Dublin isn't as financially strong as some may believe.

09-05-2011, 14:58	#2
Alan French Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 89	If I remember right, one of the earlier reports (about 2000) proposed a railway from Broombridge to the airport, using the free space in the middle of Finglas. This could then continue to Swords. The same report also proposed a tramline via Drumcondra and Ballymun, to link up with this line. If the aim is to serve the airport as cheaply as possible using branches off the existing lines, this is probably better than a line from Clongriffin. It's not ideal, of course. Because of capacity problems, the trains would probably have to go from Docklands. The junction at Broombridge would be quite complicated. Of course, I'm still backing Metro North, and I only mention this because if it's a case of "back to the drawing board", this line is an option. It's strange how changeable public opinion is. In 1994, when the Luas was first proposed, a line to Ballymun was mentioned. No one particularly thought about the airport. Nowadays many people's only concern is about linking the airport - never mind if the other suburbs aren't served! People ask me why they need to go to the expense of tunnelling under north Dublin, when they could easily build a spur from Clongriffin. I reply that it is part of a plan to provide rail or tram links to as many suburbs as possible, not just to link the airport with the city centre. By the way, I'd have no problem with a tram link from Cork to Ballincollig.