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Unread 27-06-2014, 00:38   #1
Destructix
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Default Phoenix park tunnel

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/envir...2017-1.1846101

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rish people and visitors to Dublin will be able to take trains through the Phoenix Park tunnel from early 2016, travel on the new Luas cross-city line from October 2017, and possibly cycle on improved Liffeyside paths soon after.
The timeline emerged as the National Transport Authority briefed politicians on the impact of the new Luas line on the city’s commercial life and the future of its public transport.
Authority chief executive Gerry Murphy told the Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications that “the most important factor” in the long-term planning of transport for Dublin would be the availability of State funding beyond 2020 and the feasibility of public-private partnerships.
He said just €16 million would be needed for trains from Co Kildare, which terminate at Heuston station, to run through the Phoenix Park tunnel to Drumcondra, Connolly, Pearse and Grand Canal Dock.

Phoenix Park tunnel
Mr Murphy said the tunnel offered the possibility of electrified services between Hazelhatch and Balbriggan in an expanded Dart network, which would also include services between Greystones and Maynooth.

Mr Murphy said the major Luas construction contract, for the route from St Stephen’s Green via Grangegorman to Cabra, was due to be awarded in December.
He said plans to reduce general traffic on the city quays to one lane while upgrading cycle facilities would not go ahead until the Luas was in place.
Post-2020, he said, funding was the key issue but a number of projects were being reassessed to bring the costs up to date. These included a Dart underground and a possible heavy rail link from Howth Junction to the airport, as well as Metro North.
In Cork city, investment over the coming years would focus on the city centre and some key bus and cycling corridors. In Galway, walking and cycling improvements were planned along with further development of bus prioritisation, Mr Murphy added.
Limerick city had been designated a Smarter Travel Demonstration Area and was receiving substantial funding for sustainable travel projects. In Waterford, there would be improvements to key bus corridors to the city centre, WIT and its surrounding employment area, and the hospital, he said.
NTA 1-0 Iarnród Éireann
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Unread 27-06-2014, 11:21   #2
Mark Gleeson
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NTA has never delivered on any project yet, so I'm still not convinced.

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tunnel offered the possibility of electrified services between Hazelhatch and Balbrigga
Nope, it doesn't
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Unread 27-06-2014, 11:33   #3
James Howard
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The whole thing seems pretty pointless to me. There is no capacity in Connolly right now and while the signalling project helps the loop-line throughput, increasing the traffic coming from the Maynooth line and crossing the Northern line is hardly going to help the already fragile timetable. Then they would still have to turn back the Kildare trains somewhere or else park them up near GCD.

It doesn't really make any sense unless they can somehow magic up a couple of extra platforms at Connolly or bugger up the Maynooth service by running more trains to Docklands.
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Unread 27-06-2014, 14:00   #4
berneyarms
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Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson View Post
NTA has never delivered on any project yet, so I'm still not convinced.
Really?

We have a national journey planner, on street and online RTPI, new buses delivered, LEAP rollout and expansion, ongoing review of bus services across the country - they seem pretty tangible deliveries to me.

Last edited by berneyarms : 27-06-2014 at 14:04.
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Unread 27-06-2014, 14:03   #5
berneyarms
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Originally Posted by James Howard View Post
The whole thing seems pretty pointless to me. There is no capacity in Connolly right now and while the signalling project helps the loop-line throughput, increasing the traffic coming from the Maynooth line and crossing the Northern line is hardly going to help the already fragile timetable. Then they would still have to turn back the Kildare trains somewhere or else park them up near GCD.

It doesn't really make any sense unless they can somehow magic up a couple of extra platforms at Connolly or bugger up the Maynooth service by running more trains to Docklands.
It will need a timetable recast to deliver it, but it is perfectly possible once the full city centre signalling project is completed as that will mean significant extra capacity through the city centre.

One key element of that is to bring the extra platform at Grand Canal Dock into use, as the main northbound line. That will mean that the middle platform (currently the main northbound platform) will become a turnback platform and that trains can terminate there without clashing with other northbound services.
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Unread 27-06-2014, 14:37   #6
Mark Gleeson
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Originally Posted by berneyarms View Post
Really?

We have a national journey planner, on street and online RTPI, new buses delivered, LEAP rollout and expansion, ongoing review of bus services across the country - they seem pretty tangible deliveries to me.
All of which was well in progress before NTA came into being. LEAP is run by the RPA.

The widescale service reductions approved by the NTA are not something to celebrate
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Unread 27-06-2014, 16:31   #7
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Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson View Post

The widescale service reductions approved by the NTA are not something to celebrate
+1

Regarding the Phoenix Park Tunnel I wonder will the likes of the Athlone and Carlow commuter trains come across to Connolly too.

Last edited by Traincustomer : 27-06-2014 at 16:36.
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Unread 27-06-2014, 17:00   #8
Inniskeen
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Originally Posted by Traincustomer View Post
+1

Regarding the Phoenix Park Tunnel I wonder will the likes of the Athlone and Carlow commuter trains come across to Connolly too.
These trains could possibly run to Docklands assuming that Glasnevin Junction was re-oriented. Alternatively track re-alignments at Church Road would allow both the existing Drumcondra station to be served in addition to Docklands.

While there will be additional capacity between Connolly and Pearse/ Grand Canal Dock in the future this may might not result in the spectacular throughput improvement promised as capacity will be heavily influenced, as now, by station dwell times at Tara Street and Pearse.
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Unread 27-06-2014, 20:34   #9
berneyarms
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Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson View Post
All of which was well in progress before NTA came into being. LEAP is run by the RPA.

The widescale service reductions approved by the NTA are not something to celebrate
Let's be realistic Mark - transport services were over provided and did need to be cut back - we've just gone through a massive recession. Buses were going around carrying thin air.

The national journey planner was an NTA initiative and was not under way before. The single point of contact for all transport information is continually building.

The NTA are responsible for the decisions about how LEAP is to be developed in terms of fares and ticketing. The RPA are responsible for the technical aspects.

We now have proper bus licensing procedures rather than the total inertia under the DoT.

The PSO bus and train timetables between Dublin and Mullingar are now integrated. Full scale bus network reviews are under way on the Bus Eireann PSO services.

We're getting proper rationale for all of the fare reviews.

There is far more transparency now than before - all of that is down to having the NTA in place.

Last edited by berneyarms : 27-06-2014 at 20:36.
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Unread 27-06-2014, 23:20   #10
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Buses were going around carrying thin air.
My view is that many bus services could have been and can be made more useful if they are integrated better with other bus/rail services and in some instances retimed. For instance, there are several PSO routes operating M-F or M-S where first journeys don't reach major towns pre-09.00 and last journeys leave too early hence commuters can't avail of them. In other places well established links between towns within counties were broken with no apparent consultation whatsoever and were being used. Travel between Duleek and Navan comes to mind; in short a journey that took just over half an hour on a direct bus now involves two buses and the duration is doubled.

Progress has certainly been made from some years ago but there's still a lot of scope across the country for many improvements in integration, bus to rail and bus to bus.
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Unread 12-07-2014, 17:53   #11
rigel kent
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Except that busses are uncomfortable.
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