DART+ (DART Expansion)

Sinn Fein talking about a Dart link to airport. They'd probably go for that and cancel Metrolink if they get in :/

Fast forward 10 years

"We feel at this moment in time, the community would be best served by regular buses to and from the airport from Clongriffin Station. We'll revisit the idea of a Dart at a later date".

My apologies but I am just being curious, what is the downside of connecting Airport to Clongriffin?

I mean, it doesn't even have to be DART - some sort of quick shuttle between airport and Clongriffin feeding into the improved DART servicing Drogheda-Greystones - wouldn't that be nice? Is this 5-6 km prohibitively expensive somehow?

The "can-we-not-just-link-the-airport-to-Clongriffin-by-DART" idea is recurring PR disaster for Metrolink.

It is very easy to type, requires no thought or knowledge about the issue whatsoever, and sounds very attractive to influential people who regard infrastructure investment as a waste of money.

In short, it's an easy, cheap and wrong answer to a different question that has not been asked.

If the NTA and TII were to rename the Metrolink project as "Metro-Swords" it would at least oblige the "anti-airport-Metro" brigade to explain their simplistic idea a bit better.

I'm not on "X" but are these half-wits ever asked to expand on their simplistic nonsense?

Clongriffin to Connolly is 20mins on the Dart. Airport to Clongriffin (7km) could be done in 10minutes. Adding a 10min connection time, a 40mins journey from the Airport to Connolly is likely.

This is the same as the 700 AirCoach and comparable to Dublin Express buses. Such a link would absolutely be a trip generator for the airport, as well as travellers north of Clongriffin as far as Belfast and south along the Dart Line.

In the absence of Metro, this would put too much strain on the congested Dart Northern line. Trains from Clongriffin would be packed into the city and impact everyone between Clongriffin and Connolly. Metro has to come first or open around the same time.

If i was holding the crayons when an airport DART spur was being designed, i would extend it to Howth Junction, and join it to the howth branch, making a Howth to Airport line, why have to spurs/branchs from the main line?

Yes of course, one would have grade seperation.

Dublin Airport is not "the airport for Dubliners". A very significant share of its passengers (maybe over half? I don't have figures) are from outside the catchment of any Dublin transport service. Cork, the next biggest airport, doesn't offer anything like the same route offering as Dublin: if you're travelling to another EU country for work from anywhere in Ireland, there's at least a 50% chance you'll have to go through Dublin.

Add the holiday charters that are almost all "ex Dublin" to that, and you'll see that Metrolink won't displace coaches for people living outside of counties Dublin, Meath or Kildare. The bulk of daily flights out of DUB depart before 1100, many before 0900, and that pushes the "get on first train" time into the small hours if you're outside the city… even if such services existed. Metro, as an automated service, can run profitably at this time of night, but not DART which needs more staffing (not least a driver).

The only viable Airport DART service would be one that passes the Airport on its way to somewhere else where lots of people live. Blanchardstown would be a good idea, creating a northern orbital; another option would be a longer distance link via Ashbourne to Navan (opening up housing development opportunities in South Meath without inflicting more cars on the capital), but a shuttle service on a branch line simply would not pay its way.

(1) We need metro to Swords via the airport

AND

(2) We need Dublin airport to be on the national rail network

I am convinced of that.

How (2) should exactly happen, I'm not 100% sure yet, but I think the airport and Swords should both be stations on a re-aligned route to Belfast.

Every IC train heading south from Belfast-Dundalk-Drogheda should call at Swords and the Airport before continuing into the city.

Clongriffin (Dart North) - Airport (Metrolink) - St. Margaret's Road (Luas Finglas and P&R) - Blanchardstown (Shopping Centre) - Porterstown (Dart West)

That would make for a workable Metro West.

Also connecting to the Kildare line at Fonthill. Based on the old emerging preferred route, and assuming an extension to Clongriffin, it wouldn't be a direct Airport connection, but would require a quick change at Daridstown.

A new station at Porterstown, with 4 platforms, would also benefit Dart+West by allowing Commuter and Intercity trains to overtake Dart trains. Porterstown is pretty much halfway between Maynooth and Cross Guns, so is ideal for this.

All very well having inter city trains to the Airport, but who's going to operate the trains that get someone from Cork to the airport in time for a 05:00 checkin? And who else would want to travel then? If there's resources to run an 0230 from Kent, I'd rather have them spent on services that will have higher ridership.

Look at DUB departures: after 1100 it's a ghost town.

A spur from Clongriffin wouldn't even be cheap. The space required for a west-ward line connecting to both north/south lines would be considerable. Then you have the crossing of tracks which would create conflicts on the Northern Line. Building a station at the airport for DART or intercity trains would cost an absolute fortune and almost certainly require tunnelling. A separate line with interchange is the most realistic option, in which case, it should be light rail.

Light rail would be much cheaper and easier to build and could even piggyback on the Metrolink systems, depot, etc. It could serve multiple stops around Clongriffin/Belmayne/Northern Cross and multiple stops around the airport (T1, T2, ALSAA, etc.) and allow for redevelopment of surface car parks. Basically, it would be much cheaper and provide more benefits than a heavy rail spur. The heavy rail spur is best forgotten about.