Dublin - Metrolink (Swords to Charlemont only)

Thanks for the link - is it standard practice to have observations sent to ABP, published in a different website than their own?

Documents visible from ABP's website, are those of the project that TII/NTA submitted: https://www.pleanala.ie/en-ie/case/314724

Not really, the works can be timed to keep one of the lines open at most times. The gswr and mgwr pass through

I'm always curious, how many rounds of public consultation do these people want? 3 is already the world's highest. Would 10 rounds be enough? 100?

Glasnevin probably should be done as under separate contract and progressed ahead of the other civil works contracts. Glasnevin Junction is actually fairly central in the DART+ West project when you consider that there are double the tracks from there to Connolly/SD. Presumably works for DART+W will start from the ends, it should be possible to have the Metrolink station box built before the DART+ works get to that area. I'm sure the opportunity would also be taken to do DART+ works during the Metrolink closures.

The Mater comments seem a bit irrelevant. The EmergencyDepartment entrance well away from where the Metrolink station box is to be built. Isn't the National Isolation Unit is the new building they recently threw together (with questionable planning permission iirc)? If so, it was designed and built after the Metrolink proposals had been announced. They could have built it 60m further from the Metrolink station box location if they wanted.

As for Dept. for Housing, have they any suggestions on where else to locate a station near there (which is an area that absolutely needs a station)? The previous plan was to literally dig up half the park, the proposal now has minimal impact on the park.

Unclear (to me) from the article which line potentially closes for 21 months and which for 5 months. As I don't know which is MGWR and which is GSWR. So is it Maynooth or Newbridge branch that closes for 21 months?

Also is it feasible, physical space and cost, to redesign Glasnevin Junction to keep both paths open, if one of the lines either side of the Brian Boru was kept open during the work? (I guess which line was open would alternate at some stage).

MGWR line is the one along the Canal

GSWR line is the one via Drumcondra station

Creating an interdependency between the projects would see everything delayed if one project runs into problems. If the Metrolink RO was refused, would IE be able to proceed with DART+ West as a separate standalone project when it was designed around works at Glasnevin being completed under Metrolink?

Both projects being able to proceed independent of each other is a good thing. Linking them just brings in more risks. The closure is required regardless of whether DART+ West has been completed or not, it's not like the close can be avoided. The station box needs to be dug out under the tracks as part of Metrolink, DART+ is immaterial to that fact.

I think IE need to get their project started before they start fretting over access to their as yet non-existent depot. They can't yet confirm when actual DART+ works will happen at Glasnevin. Its not impossible that the Metrolink station box starts on site at Glasnevin before DART+ does.

I'm not suggesting tying them all together into one megaproject but IÉ's objections make it sound like they haven't even been consulted on the plans for Glasnevin.

The Dart+ West plans do not include a new junction layout at Glasnevin, which allows the Phoenix Park Tunnel route to switch to the Drumcondra line.

I was very surprised when I saw this. Not sure why. Note the PPT line top left.

C2CC is in no way comparable to linking two multi billion € projects such that if one gets delayed, both get delayed. You'd be staking the future development of both the city's heavy and light rail network on 500m of track, without which everything stagnates.

If DART+ was otherwise good to go but wasn't allowed to proceed because Metrolink encountered delays (or vice versa), that would be true incompetence.

I was amazed to see the huge disruption to the rail network bacause of the Glasnevin proposed closure. If there is a single location on the entire network which is absolutely vital, it is Glasnevin Junction. Metro systems in other countries do not involve such massive disruption , for example the construction of the new Crossrail (Elizabeth) line in London was not allowed to radically disrupt existing services.

In my view this all stems from having TII responsible for Road and Luas projects, but not, as far as I can make out, for heavy rail projects. If there is one huge gaping hole in the planning of transport infrastructure it is the lack of proper co-ordination under a comprehensive major infrastructure body.

Here is the Iarnród Éireann submission is here;

It is actually quite short and most of it just says that lots of stuff will have to be mutually agreed beforehand. It certainly isnt a prophecy of doom as the reactions of some seem to suggest. Despite the claim here that IÉ were not consulted, the first paragraph literally says "NTA/TII ... has consulted with Iarnród Éireann...".

Regarding the closure at Glasnevin, it says "Iarnród Éireann is firmly of the view that the prolonger closures proposed are excessive and that, coupled with an appropriate short term track possessions regime, significantly shorter closure periods should be feasible". Basically say, when we get into the nitty gritty of the detail, shorter closures should work. The Metrolink team were probably taking worst case scenario but in the knowledge that that was unlikely to happen.

IÉ also say "disruptive impacts to train operations must be minimised and timed for periods of lower passenger and freight usage on Iarnród Éireann services e.g. summer months". So just saying to plan most of the heavy works for during the summer.

The planned closures would not be concurrent, two tracks would be kept available. From the reactions of some here you'd think Metrolink proposed to shut down the whole lot.

I assume the track layout that was shown is a final layout but that there could be numerous temporary layouts to facilitate works (but DART+ West and Metrolink) at various times before the final layout is realised.