Tuesday 23 June 2009

Metro works to demolish part of St Patrick’s college

Some of the walls and trees at St Patrick’s teacher training college in Drumcondra, Dublin, will be knocked down as part of ‘enabling works’ for the Metro North project.

The works will also include the building of a ventilation shaft for the rail project near to a children’s playground. The Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) is seeking tenders for the work, which includes the relocation of a grass recreational area and the reinforcement of walls.

The preferred route for the 18-kilometre Metro North - due to be built between Swords and St Stephen’s Green in the city centre - runs along the west side of the grounds of the training college. The RPA has been in discussions with the management of the college and specified that contractors would seek to minimise disruption during any works.

The works - including the building of the 25-metre deep ventilation shaft for the underground line - are expected to take about six months to complete.

‘‘The area would be sealed off and made safe during and after the construction works. We have worked very closely with college management on these plans,” said an RPA spokesman.

He said that tenders had been sought for a number of works - including the removal and relocation of the Daniel O’Connell statue on O’Connell Street - even though a decision will not be made on a railway order for the Metro North until September.

This means that work could start immediately if the order is granted for the multi-billion euro transport system. An oral hearing on the Metro North project went into recess in May, and is expected to restart soon. When it is complete, An Bord Pleanála will make a decision on the railway order, but enabling works cannot begin for a further two months to allow for judicial review.

Separately, the RPA has also invited tenders for the management and operation of all Luas park-and-ride facilities, including at least two new facilities that will be built for the extensions of the two tram lines.

One of these will be in Cheeverstown - for the Luas Red line extension to Saggart - and will have 300 spaces. The location of a facility for the extension of the Green line to Cherrywood is still being decided.

Sunday Business Post

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