[Article] Green light given to Luas link-up, first passengers 2017

[Colm Moore]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0803/gre...s-link-up.html

Green light given to Luas link-up, first passengers 2017
Updated: 10:46, Friday, 3 August 2012

An Bord Pleanála has given the go-ahead for the Luas link up in Dublin city centre.

The Government has already announced it is committed to funding the estimated €370m cost of the project.

Initial works are due to begin next year and passenger services are planned to start in 2017.

The 6km BXD line will extend the Green Line from St Stephen's Green through the city centre where it will link up with the Red Line at the junction of O'Connell St and Abbey St.

It will then go to Broombridge near Cabra where it will link up with the Maynooth commuter rail line.

A stop is also planned for the new DIT campus at Grangegorman, a project which got approval for €180m worth of funding in the Government's stimulus package.

A number of city centre statues including Molly Malone at the bottom of Grafton St will have to be removed and kept in storage while works take place.

The board decided that the Luas BXD line would not interfere with future development of the Metro North and Underground DART projects.

It also decided to allow the line to run with overhead cables through the core city centre area despite concerns expressed by Dublin City Council that these would be "visually intrusive".

It decided that the Dawson St north bound stop be omitted as it could cause traffic congestion.

The planning permission for LUAS BXD will last for seven years.

[Colm Moore]

Decision and Railway Order: http://www.pleanala.ie/news/NA0004/NA0004.htm

Overhead wires can be used.

Dawson Street Stop northbound to be omitted.

Track on O'Connell street to be at the level of the median, not at the level of the street.

Railway order for a period of 7 years (15 years for Grangegorman stop)

[drumcondra commuter]

The end of beautiful Broombridge as we know it

Seriously though, this is good news and I'd be keen to hear how the Western Way / Broadstone area will be managed given the differences in elevation.

EIS only states "a requirement for demolition of derelict houses, a petrol filling station and certain structures within Broadstone Bus Depot."

[Jamie2k9]

Overhead wires can be used.

Souldn't be allowed. They need to look at the way the trams are set up in the city centre in Bordeux.

[Inniskeen]

Originally Posted by Jamie2k9

Souldn't be allowed. They need to look at the way the trams are set up in the city centre in Bordeux.

Not worth the additional expense or operational complication.

[Mark Gleeson]

The technical review of solutions found no suitable proven solution capable of the start/stop and distance involved for the implementation in Dublin.

[Colm Moore]

http://www.rpa.ie/en/news/Pages/Luas...omedbyRPA.aspx

Home > English > News > Luas Broombridge Railway Order welcomed by RPA
Luas Broombridge Railway Order welcomed by RPA

Luas Broombridge Railway Order welcomed by RPA

RPA welcomes the granting of a Railway Order today for Luas Broombridge, a new Luas line running from the Green Line terminus at St. Stephen’s Green through the city centre, Phibsborough and Cabra to Broombridge. The Luas Red and Green lines will finally be connected and interchange with the Maynooth Line will be provided at Broombridge. The new line will also directly serve the new DIT Campus at Grangegorman which was recently given the green light to proceed and which will accommodate more than 20,000 students. This represents a very significant milestone in the creation of a high quality, integrated public transport network for Dublin.

It is expected that the construction of the line will generate 800 jobs. The cost of the project will be in the region of €370m and passenger services are planned to commence in 2017. The new line, which is approximately 6km in length, with 13 convenient stops, will offer an end to end journey time of just 24 minutes and is expected to attract an additional 8 million passenger journeys on Luas each year – a 25% increase. The scale of this increase underlines the vital importance of linking the Luas lines and opening up new options for Luas passengers and suburban and mainline rail passengers.

Luas has bucked the trend - despite the recession Luas passenger numbers have remained very high with 29 million passengers carried in 2011. RPA has always aimed to operate Luas without a subvention and to date this objective has been achieved. The implementation of Luas Broombridge will serve to further consolidate the performance of Luas and enhance considerably the options for public transport users in the capital.

Welcoming this decision Michael Sheedy, RPA’s Director of Light Rail, said: “This is great news for Luas and for commuters in Dublin. Luas Broombridge is RPA’s most important project. It will form the foundation of a high quality integrated network which will significantly reduce the current high reliance on the private car. We will now be working closely with our colleagues in the National Transport Authority and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport to progress the delivery of this much needed infrastructure�.

Click here to view or download the above press release.

Click here to view or download the Luas Broombridge Map.

[karlr42]

Between lacking a stop in the northbound direction at one stop and having the split northbound/southbound line loop thing going on, makes for a really confusing system for casual users, I predict, but I am a bit of a naysayer.

[Colm Moore]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...reaking21.html

Bord Pleanála gives green light to new Luas extension
OLIVIA KELLY and CHARLIE TAYLOR

A proposed extension to the Luas, which would link the two existing lines, has been granted by An Bord Pleanála.

[Colm Moore]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...321449516.html

Planned Cabra strand of Luas gets green light
OLIVIA KELLY

DUBLIN’S cross-city Luas line, the only major rail project sanctioned by the Government, is set to carry its first passengers in 2017 following the granting of permission by An Bord Pleanála yesterday.

The Luas BXD, will run from the Luas Green line at St Stephen’s Green to the Iarnród Éireann station at Broombridge in Cabra, connecting the Green and Red lines for the first time.

It will also serve the new DIT campus at Grangegorman – which was recently approved and will accommodate more than 20,000 students – and will provide a new mainline rail connection at Broombridge where it will link up to the Maynooth Line.

Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar yesterday said the line would cost “in the region of €300 to €400 million� to construct, and would be built within four years. The Railway Procurement Agency said it intended to start work next year and open the line in 2017.

Mr Varadkar said he was confident the project would go ahead because, unlike other more “grandiose� transport projects, the Luas BXD was funded by the State, not a public-private partnership, which meant it was not reliant on market forces or private finance.

“It was a mistake not to link the Luas lines up and part of the reason why that was done was that decisions were made to go for much more grandiose and much more expensive projects, like undergrounds for example, which we can’t now afford,� he said.

However he said the “business case� for the new line needed to be updated to take into account the changes made by An Board Pleanála before financing could be put in place.

“Any project has to have a good business case and a very strong benefit-to-cost ratio. An Bord Pleanála have made a few changes to the original plan. They’re not huge and we’re very confident that they will be doable within the existing budget.�

The Railway Order granted by the planning board is subject to 17 conditions, including the omission of a stop on Dawson Street. However the board has not ordered that power lines be put underground for the city centre sections of the line.

This condition, which would have greatly added to the cost of the project, had been sought by Dublin City Council and heritage groups on the grounds that overhead lines would have a “visually intrusive� impact on the historic core of the city.

The board determined that placing the lines underground could cause problems in extreme weather conditions which might impair the functioning of trams.

Dublin City Council’s director of traffic Michael Philips said the council was “very happy to work with the board’s decision� .

“When you’re working in the city everything is about balance. While it might, from an aesthetic point of view, have been more desirable to have the lines underground, if that was going to affect reliability it wasn’t going to wash.�

He said there might be an opportunity to revisit the issue when and if Metro North went ahead, as technology might have moved on.

The new line will link the Green line, from Sandyford to St Stephen’s Green, with the Red line, from Tallaght to Connolly Station. The lines will meet at O’Connell Street. The Luas BXD will then run to Parnell Square, Broadstone, Phibsborough and Cabra. It will service 13 stops with a journey time of 24 minutes and is expected to attract an additional eight million passenger journeys on Luas each year, an increase of 25 per cent.

The board’s decision was welcomed yesterday by Dublin Chambers of Commerce, the Dublin Institute of Technology and Government and Opposition politicians.

Mr Varadkar last November confirmed that Luas BXD would go ahead but said the Metro and Dart Underground would be shelved.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...321449509.html

Belated link-up corrects costly mistake
OLIVIA KELLY

ANALYSIS: New Luas line cheaper than Metro project but €185m already spent on other shelved schemes

YESTERDAY’S DECISION by An Bord Pleanála to grant permission for the Luas Broombridge line to link the existing Red and Green Luas lines underscores the folly of having built two independent lines in the first place.

Not having done the job properly when the lines were built eight years ago has proved extremely costly in terms both of inconvenience to the travelling public and, probably more importantly, money.

With Dublin’s mainline stations on the outskirts of the city centre and the Dart hugging its eastern edge, it surely made sense that when a new rail system was being devised it would service the main shopping and business district. But that’s not how it panned out.

When the light-rail plan was first mooted in the mid-1990s the line was to have cut through the city centre linking the north and south sides of the river from St Stephen’s Green through to O’Connell Street.

However, by the end of the decade that plan had been abandoned by a Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats government which feared public reaction if they removed traffic from narrow Dawson Street and Nassau Street. Dublin Bus wasn’t too keen on the idea either as it feared it would be squeezed out in competition with trains and cars in the congested centre.

Instead they opted to construct two separate lines, the Green line from St Stephen’s Green to Sandyford and the Red line from Connolly Station to Tallaght. At their nearest point they were a good 15-minute walk apart.

Just a year after they opened in 2004 the plans changed again. The government’s new Transport 21 plan recommended that the Luas lines be connected and not only that but a Metro, covering largely the same ground as the Luas in its city-centre section, would run underground.

While that decision might have seemed a bit odd, the logic for the Luas connector seemed irrefutable. The two lines were hugely popular. Exceeding projected passenger numbers in the first year, Luas remains the only public transport system to wipe its own face, requiring no Government subsidy.

However, the Luas connector wasn’t about to get an easy ride. In July 2010 it was dropped again just a month after the Railway Procurement Agency had applied to An Bord Pleanála to build the line. The Luas BXD was shoved out of the government’s capital spending programme in favour of the Metro, although the planning process was allowed continue so it could be picked up again at a later date.

It was the change of government that saved Luas BXD. Soon after Leo Varadkar took up the transport portfolio, he announced that only one of “the big three� transport projects – Metro North, Dart Underground and the Luas interconnector – would be going ahead. Although he didn’t announce until last November that Luas was the winner, it was clear that was the way he was leaning.

Metro may have had the advantage of taking people all the way to Dublin Airport, but Luas has the advantage of being cheap, expected to cost about €370 million, while the Metro was projected to cost at least €3 billion.

There has still, however, been an outrageous waste of money caused by the will-they-won’t-they nature of successive governments’ transport planning. An estimated €150 million was spent on Metro North and €35 million on Dart Underground before they were shelved.

[James Howard]

Is there a particular reason as to why this is costing so so much? This is projected at €370m for 5.6km and 13 stops. This is €66m per km or €28m per stop.

I've found a recent costing on Wikipedia in Montpellier for a line using the same trams and costing €530m for 19.8 km and 29 stops. This is €26m per km or €18m per stop.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montpellier_tramway

It is interesting to note that with this added the total length of Dublin tramway will be almost back to 50% of its peak.

[Colm Moore]

Lots of variables, primarily that this is a city centre line with lots of interactions, primarily with telecoms and other services.

[karlr42]

Originally Posted by James Howard

It is interesting to note that with this added the total length of Dublin tramway will be almost back to 50% of its peak.

Nowhere near the same coverage though, which should be the real metric.

[Thomas J Stamp]

Originally Posted by Colm Moore

Lots of variables, primarily that this is a city centre line with lots of interactions, primarily with telecoms and other services.

i was having a good gawk a few weeks ago at the hole they have dug in Hawkins street, amazing amount of utilities under the ground, all of which will be upgraded, ducted, diverted.

[dowlingm]

Originally Posted by James Howard

Is there a particular reason as to why this is costing so so much

Well 1/2 the project budget is probably going on security for the depot...

[Colm Moore]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/1127/gov...s-link-up.html

Government pledges €370m for Luas link-up
Updated: 14:45, Tuesday, 27 November 2012

The Government has pledged €370m for the construction of the Luas link-up line in Dublin city centre.

Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar said Cabinet approval was secured for a revised business plan and work will begin in May next year.

He said the project is likely to generate up to 800 jobs during the construction phase with a further 60 permanent jobs.

Funding was included in the Government's capital expenditure plan and An Bord Pleanála gave planning approval last August.

Mr Varadkar said he will now ask the National Transport Authority and the Railway Procurement Agency to prepare for work to start next May with the main construction works starting in 2015 and the line completed in 2017.

"The two Luas lines should have been joined up years ago. It's a privilege for me as Minister for Transport to be able to finish the job," he said.

There will be traffic restrictions during construction and permanent changes are likely, such as Dawson Street being closed to car traffic and different traffic flows around St Stephen's Green.

Tom Coffey of the Dublin City Business Association says his members want disruption to be contained in "one big bang" of construction rather than a rolling series of road closures in the city centre.

[Colm Moore]

http://transport.ie/pressRelease.aspx?Id=677

Work to start on €370M Luas BXD next year after Cabinet approves updated business plan - Varadkar
27 - 11 - 2012

Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar has announced that work will start on the new Luas BXD line next year after Cabinet discussed the project’s updated business plan today.

Minister Varadkar will now ask the National Transport Authority (NTA) and the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) to prepare for work to start in May 2013.

“This is an important step for the Luas BXD project, which will link up the existing Luas lines and give Dublin an integrated commuter rail network for the first time. Cabinet has discussed the business plan for Luas BXD, and I have now asked the NTA and RPA to proceed with the procurement and contractual arrangements which are necessary to allow the project to proceed in 2013,� Minister Varadkar said.

“The two Luas lines should have been joined up years ago. It’s a privilege for me as Minister for Transport to be able to finish the job.�

Minister Varadkar informed Cabinet today of his intention to approve arrangements for the construction of the LUAS BXD. The Minister’s decision is based on the project’s updated business case, and follows An Bord Pleanála’s decision earlier this year to grant a Railway Order which allows the line to be built.

The project will cost €370 million and is likely to generate up to 800 jobs during the construction phase, with a further 60 permanent jobs. Funding for the project has been included in the Government’s capital allocations under the Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2012-2016 plan, which gave priority to Luas BXD.

Luas BXD is a key infrastructure project and firmly in keeping with the Programme for Government’s intention to rebalance transport policy in favour of public transport.

The first stage of construction – the pre-construction enabling works – is due to start in May 2013 with the main construction works starting in 2015. The project is scheduled for completion in late 2017.

Every effort will be made to minimise the impact of construction works on the business community, road users, pedestrians, and residents in the city centre area. An initial working group comprising the RPA, NTA and Dublin City Council has been established to develop traffic management arrangements during the construction phase.

There are now proposals to set up a broader Project Forum chaired by Minister Varadkar including representatives of traders and businesses, An Garda SÃ*ochána, Dublin Bus, Dublin City Council plus the RPA and the NTA.

Ends
Issued by: Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: 01 6041090 / 01 6041087

Further information

Luas Broombridge will be a key element in an integrated transport system for Dublin. It will create a Luas network by joining the two existing Red and Green lines, extending the network through the city centre to Broombridge. The new line will also integrate with rail services on the Maynooth and Dunboyne lines as well as QBC cross city/city centre bus services. A new bridge over the River Liffey, which is currently under construction, will carry the southbound Luas track from Marlborough Street to Hawkins Street.

When this landmark project is completed Dublin will finally have a truly integrated public transport system.

The recently updated business case which takes account of the conditions attached to the Railway Order, changes to land and construction costs and to revised population and employment projections, concludes that there continues to be a strong transport and economic case for proceeding with the project.

Other sectors of the regional economy are likely to benefit such as those in the construction material supply industry, plant hire and those providing technical support services (Architects, Engineers, Quantity Surveyors). Around 60 new permanent jobs will be created to support the ongoing operation and maintenance of the extended Luas network.