If Metrolink was scrapped, what are the alternatives?

€40bn?

Is it not gonna cost €100bn and all citizens will be forced to sell their kidneys? 🙄

It’s barely even integrating with itself…. Seeing as only 1 line is going ahead for now. How many stations will integrate / connect with the Luas on the metros completion ? How many stations will integrate / connect to the Dart and or intercity rail on the Metros completion ?

Look at or experience using the metros in Paris, Rome, Lisbon, Madrid, Barcelona and experience, truly world class, comfortable, connected, integrated and fast metro services. They connect you, the passenger. Looks like any connecting for the mess in Dublin will see a lot more effort being done by the passengers as opposed to the service doing it for them.

Yeah it's a no brainer to connect it with the train line at Donabate.

I've heard rumours that some prospector in the know that's more than friendly with a few political parties has already bought all or most of the fields between Swords and Donabate in the hope of holding the government over a barrel when it comes to CPO time.

I hope you're right.

It's already been rezoned as Metro Economic Corridor

The Person that allegedly bought it did so when it was still classed as Green Belt 🙄

Cronyism... love it!

It does not work that way. You cannot buy land speculatively to hope to play hardball with government on CPOs.

Hint: Its not a voluntary purchase order

100%

But it is already serviced by rail and the DART will be extended out that way soon.

Linking the two up is a no brainer as it's just fields between them. But need to be done before someone comes along and backs in as many 4 and 3 bed semi-D's as they can.

Like now is the time to do that stuff before all the buildings block any potential route.

The Dart+ North project will increase frequency in a few years hopefully.

If they extended the Metro to Donabate, then you'd have a sort of Circle line from Tara St to the airport, to Swords, to Donabate, then back down through Malahide into town.

The more interconnectivity, the better.

So people from Malahide going to the airport can loop around counter clockwise.

Someone from Ballymun could commute to Drogheda or vice versa.

Someone in Clongriffin could commute to Swords.

Loads of other examples but you get the idea.

It's such a no brainer, I assume they're planning for it.

Just get the first line through planning and start construction and then plan for extensions and other lines.

I'm hoping they could also open the Metro line partially before it's completed fully - from O'Connell Street to the Airport for example.

Could they open it a few years before the rest is complete?

I'm not an engineer so maybe it's not possible.

The OCS to Airport section will be the busiest section so that's why I'd like it open early.

Well maybe Charlemont to OCS will be busiest but it already has a Luas and the Charlemont part looks tricky.

But I'm not an engineer so haven't a clue what's possible in terms of opening early. I think it's something they should consider. It would be a real feel good story. I'd ride it just for fun.

I've heard other people say they could open 7 years after construction begins, so if it started in 2025, it could open 2032.

I know what I’m talking about alright ….. I’m here for a civilized discussion…. I’ve experienced some of the best metro properly integrated with suburban rail and trams, all efficient, integrated and reliable…. Numerous countries, Including having lived and worked in Paris for a time and relied on their metro & RER to get me to work and back daily and to all other trips around the city..… so I’d suggest I know a little more then your snarky reply wants you to believe.

is that under a flight path?

I imagine the point was that the tunnel engineers had predicted a certain amount of water in the soil above, but due to the very high number of damaged water mains leaking into the ground, the amount was much higher than predicted.

But yes, all tunnels leak, by design...it's safer to give the water a controlled path through the structure rather than have it find its own way, with possibly catastrophic results.

Had a look at some YT videos and it is c. 6.5 mins from Charlemount to SSG and 9 mins to Dawson at relatively quiet times. Maybe add two mins at peak times.

Switching at Charlemount will vary in times you would think. Probably vary from 3-6 mins at peak depending on luck and then say another 2 mins to SSG (with increased time exiting the station vs. a LUAS).

When you consider the jigs and reels of changing, I can see only people who want to be over the other side of SSG (say walking to Merrion Square) bothering to switch.

Westmoreland Street is 14 mins so absolutely worth switching to Metrolink and going by Tara.

Be interesting to see how far north up the line people from the southside go from Charlemount. I can see maybe 1 in 3 changing to Metrolink at peak? You’ll also have people who would get on at say Harcourt heading back to the Northside that will just take Metrolink.

Hard to know on the northside heading the other way.

All in all, it should free up a lot of capacity on the LUAS Green Line within the city centre. The issue will remain as it goes further south from Charlemount in the evening.