[Article] £4.3bn to be spent on metro system for Dublin

Victor

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/front/2000/0801/fro1.htm

£4.3bn to be spent on metro system for Dublin

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By Tim O'Brien, Regional Development Correspondent
The Government has approved the development of a £4.3 billion metro system for Dublin, one fifth of which will be under ground. The 70km metro is being planned in addition to the proposed Luas light-rail system, which is on schedule for completion by the summer of 2003.

The aggregate cost of both projects is estimated at close to £5 billion.

The Government has decided to opt for a metro system because it now accepts that Luas alone would not have the capacity to cope with the growth of the city.

The Minister said the metro would differ from Luas in that it would comprise a permanent segregated route which did not include junctions with any other traffic. As such, it would not be subject to traffic lights and would not have to yield right of way at any stage of its route. On-street light rail, as proposed in the Luas system, can cope with just 6,500 passengers per hour. Buses and Quality Bus Corridors can take another 5,000 passengers per hour.

By contrast, the capacity of a system separated from other traffic, such as the proposed metro, is 56,000 passengers per hour, according to the Department.

Ms O'Rourke said yesterday that she expects the metro system to take between seven and 15 years to plan and build.

The first Luas line, Line A from Tallaght to Abbey Street, is on schedule to be operational in the winter of 2002. Public private partnership (PPP) operators are to be chosen to operate both the Luas and metro systems.

The circular metro route will take in Kimmage, Tallaght, Quarryvale, Blanchardstown and Connolly and Tara Street stations in the city centre, integrating with the DART, Arrow, mainline rail and Luas services as well as with Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann services.

It includes spurs to Swords via the airport, and to the DART line at Shanganagh, near Bray, via the former Harcourt Street line. A smaller spur will serve Citywest from Cookstown.

The former Harcourt Street line is to be reopened as Luas Line B between St Stephen's Green and Sandyford, as planned, but will at a later date be reclassified as metro and extended to Shanganagh. Carriages will then have the option of travelling on surface all the way into the city centre or of going underground at Ranelagh.

Initial indications are that the metro will have to go underground at Clondalkin, beneath the existing Kildare line, and in the vicinity of the airport.

The Luas Line A from Tallaght to Abbey Street is already under construction and will interchange with suburban and mainline bus and rail services at Heuston station. Luas Line C from Abbey Street to Connolly Station will provide another interchange with mainline and suburban rail.

Total peak-hour trips in Dublin city grew by 78,000, or 45 per cent, between 1991 and 1997. However, the bulk of this growth was accounted for by private car journeys, which increased by 71,100 trips during the period.

Instancing other European cities which have introduced metro systems, Ms O'Rourke said their benefit was that they were separate, dedicated systems which could operate independently of other traffic and were not slowed by junctions.

It was for this reason that the dedicated Harcourt Street line between Ranelagh and Shan ganagh would be subsumed into the metro system, as it was unlike other aspects of the light rail in that it was not on-street.

Commenting on the timeframe for the plan, Ms O'Rourke said: "We are rushing to catch up."

She announced that her Department had already appointed a consortium of consultants to design and run a competition to select the Luas operator. This competition is expected to be finalised in 12 months.

Legislation to establish an independent statutory agency with responsibility for the procurement of both PPP operators is expected to be introduced to the Dáil early next year.

MAIN POINTS

Dublin's proposed metro is part of an overall plan for public transport in the city which includes:


A £2.2 billion provision for light rail (LRT), new buses, new bus routes and expanded Dart and Arrow services contained in the National Development Plan 2000 to 2006.

An estimated £4.3 billion investment from the public/private partnership in the proposed metro system.

An integrated public transport system allowing numerous opportunities to make complex journeys between bus, rail, Luas and LRT.

An integrated ticketing system which allows the passenger to purchase a single ticket for complex journeys involving bus, train or light rail. The system to also allow passengers to break their journey, for example parents delivering children to school, and resume without buying a new ticket.

The possibility of competitive services between bus, rail and LRT

The servicing of zoned land for housing, providing new transport routes which will allow housing to be developed at higher density, thus helping to ease the current housing crisis

A new independent statutory agency with responsibility for the procurement of all major railbased public transport. The work of the Light Rail project office and planning for the metro will be assumed into this agency.

A new Bill to provide the framework for the Government's proposed PPPs which will involve the private sector in designing, building, operating and financing key road, rail and other services.

The Taoiseach Mr Ahern is to announce further details of transport initiatives for the Dublin region next September.

The date is 1 August 2000

Maskhadov

The date is 1 August 2000

(delerious)hahaha hahaah haha

MarkoP11

The Minister said the metro would differ from Luas in that it would comprise a permanent segregated route which did not include junctions with any other traffic.

Hmmm

£4.3 billion IEP is €5.45 billion EUR at 2001 prices and that was for the full system. My guess of €6 billion to do the T21 proposed route isn't looking so wrong

Victor

Plus ça change .....