Dublin - Metrolink (Swords to Charlemont only)

They are actually playing it very smart. Offered a full spec metro which would operate on the Green line south of Charlemont. Cue lots of NIMBYism and jumping up and down about it. Ok fine, we'll build it up to the tie in location and leave it as a possible in the future.

When the southsiders realise how good Metrolink is, they will be crying from their slammed full luas wishing for the Metrolink to run along the Green line as it always should.

Metrolink just has to get off the ground, or in this case in the ground and people will start to have faith. The oral hearings and tendering of contracts is a really exciting step forward. Seeing daa and others fully backing it is also very welcome.

This won’t happen until there’s a parallel Green Line branch in place. The works estimation submitted to the 2018 Metrolink hearing said it this upgrade take 4 years, during which Green Line could not run through to Sandyford. Here was the expected sequence of works:

[ source document, with the four year indicative timescale, is here: Wayback Machine (archive.org) ] Stage 1 is 2.5 years; Stage 2 is 8 months; Stage 3, one month; stage 4, 9 months.

Note that any Metrolink extension was only ever possible to Sandyford. So, at the end of all this, Green Line would be split into two disconnected segments: Broombridge to Beechwood, and then, miles away, Sandyford to Bride’s Glen.

Obviously, that would rended Green Line useless south of Stephen’s Green, so a link will need to be created between these two islands of LUAS service. Soit would be a lot better to first open a new Green Line branch from Ranelagh to Sandyford, and only when that’s done, should anyone consider taking over the original Green Line as Metro.

The need to effectively break Green Line for four years was the reason this idea was canned. That and the fact that after all that disruption, not one additional household would have better access to rail transport. The opposite, was true in fact: Given the recent discussion about Ranelagh, it’s interesting to note that it is the biggest loser in this plan, because Ranelagh is the only Green Line stop that isn't transferred to a Metro station, and it also loses Luas services south of Beechwood.

Anyone who lives south of ranelagh already knows how badly its needed, its the nimbys in Ranelagh led by McDowell who scuppered the original extension plans. Also Cherrywood isnt even 25% complete, once its 100% occupied any luas from brides glen will be unuseable by the time it gets to sandyford.

We are probably way off-topic at this stage, but has the old route for the Eastern Bypass been preserved even though the project was cancelled? And could that be used to link Sandyford to UCD?

Metrolink will be driverless so needs to be entirely enclosed and seperated from cars or pedestrians so it cant go near Harcourt st. This is also why the Ranelagh level crossing needed to be closed permanently.

The future of Green Line south of Charlemont was investigated in 2019: metrolink_green_line_future_demand_capacity_intervention.pdf

Conclusion:

The current Green Line runs at about 8,800 passengers per hour per direction after the recent capacity enhancement project. The maximum capacity the consultants expected from Green Line after another round of enhancement works is 11,000 passengers per hour per direction. That's actually a very good figure for a tram service - notably better than the 9900 ppdh that was envisaged in the original Metro North project.

However, reusing the tracks for Metro operations would bring capacity to 18,000 ppdh, but that’s not needed for a long time yet.

Well original plan was to extend it to Bray, so you would have Bray to Sandyford on Luas (change with Metro). Likewise with Finglas line you would have Finglas to Charlemont (interchange with Metro)

I’ve been watching this thread for about a year now. Anecdotal evidence but OH is going relatively well so far, no major shockers. The people in TII and all the various consultants are working their ass off and doing their due diligence. Very thorough, beyond what should be required but what this country demands. Would be absolutely criminal for this project not to proceed but I’m 100% certain it will. If we can stick to the timelines, construction will start in 2025 and it will have the momentum to wade through recessions and changes in government. I’ll be genuinely proud if this country can deliver this scheme which might get some eye roles. Less an asset for me but more for my children and I feel if we get one alignment under our belt, we’ll have the confidence to do what Copenhagen has done

The Irish Times take on this is great. Subtly pointing out the ridiculous suggestion that a full station in the park would be less disruptive than an air duct and escape shaft!!

The owners of that house must be disappointed the station will be a 9 minute walk away rather than 2!

Agree, always more economical to get the extra jobs done when the builder is on site …

No they usually just bury them underground.

Rarely if ever reversed, as the concrete shuttering put up to support the tunnel narrows the bore and makes reversing impossible. Usual fate is either dismantling and removal for reassembly and reuse or scrapping, or drive it to the side and leave it there.