[article] Just who is going to build the metro?

[Mark Gleeson]

Just who is going to build the metro?
Ken Griffin


IT'S the most expensive infrastructure project in the history of the state and last week, the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) finally revealed the identities of the four consortia that want to build and operate Dublin's Metro North.

The 17-kilometre line, which is due to open in 2013, will run between St Stephen's Green in Dublin City Centre and Lissenhall near Swords.

Although there has been plenty of media attention paid to the construction of the project, there has been little focus on the companies which are vying for the job of transporting Dublin's commuters.

According to Mark Gleeson, technical officer of campaign group Rail Users Ireland, this is understandable because decisions made during the construction phase will have a major impact on the long-term efficiency of the system.

"The fear is that whoever will build it might do it too quick or cut design corners.

We've seen that before with the Luas where, for instance, the Sandyford depot has only one way in and out, so if something breaks down the service closes, " he said.

Gleeson said, however, that whoever gets to operate Metro North will have the most impact on what passengers ultimately experience. So who is bidding to run the service and will they get you to work on time?

Cathro Operator: Veolia Tram builder: Siemens Finance: BAM Construction: Strabag and Fluor ON PAPER, the alliance of Luas operator Veolia and engineering giant Siemens should be a match made in heaven, but as the residents of Melbourne, Australia have discovered, the reality can be closer to commuter hell.

Siemens trams used by Connex, Veolia's sister company there, have been plagued by braking problems, which forced the company to cancel over 2,000 services last January alone.

Although the problems have been resolved, the affair was a further blow to Siemens' reputation as a light rail provider after it was forced to recall 450 trams in 2004 due to manufacturing faults.

Siemens has had problems in Ireland too and had to compensate Iarnrod Eireann over delays to Dublin's Dart refurbishment project.

However, Veolia has a much better track record here. "They have delivered what they said they would, " said Gleeson.

Celtic Metro Group Operator: MTR Tram builder: CAF Finance: Barclays Private Equity, Mitsui Construction: OHL and Soares da Costa THE operator of Hong Kong's metro system, MTR, is likely to bring eastern efficiency to Dublin's transport system if the Celtic Metro Group succeeds.

According to Gleeson, the prospect is mouth-watering.

"Their product in Hong Kong is absolutely fantastic. It can be three years before you get a delay of over five minutes."

CAF, however, is new to tram building.

Although it recently won the tram contract for Edinburgh's new light rail scheme, industry sources indicated that it significantly undercut its rivals to win the deal.

In Ireland, it has a mixed record, having built both the ultra-reliable 29000-series commuter trains used in the Greater Dublin Area and the Mark 4 trains used on the Dublin-Cork route, which have suffered problems.

Dublin Express Link OOperator: Keolis Tram builder: Alstom Finance: HSBC, Meridiam Infrastructure Finance Construction: Bouygues, SIAC, Acciona and AMEC Spie Rail FRENCH OPERATOR Keolis seems to be particularly eager to win in Dublin and has secured an early advantage by teaming up with Luas tram provider Alstom.

According to its projects director Roger Harrison, the company has more than enough experience for the job.

"In terms of private-sector metro operations, we carry more passengers than anyone else in the world, " he said.

Meanwhile, Alstom has established itself as the market leader in trams after a period in the wilderness in the late 1990s, during which it built unspectacular Dart carriages for Iarnrod Eireann.

MetroExpress Operators: Transdev and RATP Tram builder: Bombardier Finance: Macquarie Bank, AIB and Caja Madrid Construction: FCC NEITHER Transdev, RATP nor Bombardier have ever been involved in Irish railways but they are seen, along with Dublin Express Link, as the current favourites to take the Metro North contract.

The reason why has nothing to do with technological or operational factors . . . it is simply because the RPA constantly compares Metro North to the metros in Cologne and Porto, which use Bombardier trams.

Meanwhile, Transdev, one of MetroExpress's operators, also runs the Porto metro. It plans to run Metro North as a joint venture with RATP, which is responsible for public transport in Paris.

"Porto seems to be the metro they want to base their designs on, " said Gleeson of Rail Users Ireland. "The RPA seems to use photographs of its metro a lot in its presentations."

http://www.tribune.ie/article.tvt?_s...rds=metro&FC=#

[Mark]

Its got the Marko stamp!

[sean]

Way to go Marko