THE RAILWAY Procurement Agency (RPA) has announced its intention to proceed with Metro West by applying to An Bord Pleanála for a railway order for the orbital light rail line, which would connect Tallaght, Clondalkin and Blanchardstown.
The Luas-type project would link up with Metro North at Dardistown, south of Dublin airport.
According to the agency, it would “deliver substantial benefits to communities in west Dublin, providing a quality public transport system [and] employment opportunities”.
As with Metro North, no costings have been given for the project, nor has the agency provided any estimate of likely patronage on the line, which would connect areas not linked even by a bus service. Neither has any cost-benefit analysis been published.
No provision was made for Metro West in the Government’s revised €13 million capital spending plan to 2016, unveiled last July. But Metro North, which would link Swords with St Stephen’s Green, and the Dart underground from Heuston to Docklands are part of it.
The RPA said the Metro West light rail would begin at a new terminus in the median of Belgard Road, adjacent to the Institute of Technology Tallaght, and run on the same track bed as the existing Tallaght Luas line before branching off to Clondalkin.
It would serve Liffey Valley shopping centre and cross the river on a new bridge, continuing onwards to Porterstown and Blanchardstown, past the National Aquatic Centre, and looping around through Cappoge before ending at Dardistown.
The agency described Metro West as a key element of Transport 21, the Government’s investment framework published in November 2005, and said its railway order application “represents a significant milestone in the delivery of the project”.
From October 29th, the environmental impact statement will be on display at the offices of South Dublin and Fingal county councils, the RPA and An Bord Pleanála, and on www.dublinmetrowest.ie
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Showing posts with label rail procurement agency. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rail procurement agency. Show all posts
Tuesday, 26 October 2010
Monday, 21 December 2009
Safety concern over M&S's Dublin plans
The Railway Procurement Agency has objected to plans by Marks & Spencer to develop a 10-storey retail and apartment building next to its existing shop at the Jervis Street centre in Dublin on safety grounds. The agency has told An Bord Pleanála that the retailer has failed "to address the concerns over road user safety which RPA consider will arise from the proposed development".
The RPA objects to the fact that large articulated heavy goods vehicles will reverse on a public road because the "movements are unsafe and impractical and represent a safety hazard to other road users including Luas passengers".
Marks & Spencer wants to develop the building as part of a wider plan to expand and revamp its existing department store.
Dublin city council granted M&S planning approval in October for more than 40 apartments as part of the extension of the building. The retailer was told it would have to pay a contribution of nearly €470,000 to the council and more than €130,000 towards the cost of Metro North.
The retailer announced last month that Marc Bolland, chief executive of supermarket Morrison, will join the retailer in 2010 as chief executive. The group is currently run by industry veteran Stuart Rose.
Earlier this year HSBC analyst Paul Smiddy said the retailer's performance in Ireland "is bedevilled, not just by the major swing in Celtic consumer confidence, but also by over-exuberant past property decisions by M&S", adding later that in HSBC's view "the company has made some poor decisions on locations in Ireland… Marks rode the Celtic Tiger with enthusiasm."
Since then, the retailer has pulled at least two shop openings planned for Ireland, one of which was for the Opera Centre in Limerick which is part-owned by the state through nationalised Anglo Irish Bank.
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
The RPA objects to the fact that large articulated heavy goods vehicles will reverse on a public road because the "movements are unsafe and impractical and represent a safety hazard to other road users including Luas passengers".
Marks & Spencer wants to develop the building as part of a wider plan to expand and revamp its existing department store.
Dublin city council granted M&S planning approval in October for more than 40 apartments as part of the extension of the building. The retailer was told it would have to pay a contribution of nearly €470,000 to the council and more than €130,000 towards the cost of Metro North.
The retailer announced last month that Marc Bolland, chief executive of supermarket Morrison, will join the retailer in 2010 as chief executive. The group is currently run by industry veteran Stuart Rose.
Earlier this year HSBC analyst Paul Smiddy said the retailer's performance in Ireland "is bedevilled, not just by the major swing in Celtic consumer confidence, but also by over-exuberant past property decisions by M&S", adding later that in HSBC's view "the company has made some poor decisions on locations in Ireland… Marks rode the Celtic Tiger with enthusiasm."
Since then, the retailer has pulled at least two shop openings planned for Ireland, one of which was for the Opera Centre in Limerick which is part-owned by the state through nationalised Anglo Irish Bank.
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
Sunday, 22 February 2009
Metro North rail bids due this week
The four consortiums vying to build the Metro North rail system in Dublin are finalising their bids and will submit them to the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) this week. The Sunday Business Post understands that the consortiums have focused on reducing costs where possible, and that bids are expected to be in the region of €3 billion to €4 billion. Sources confirmed that the drop in property prices, and competition among subcontractors for work, had allowed them to revise costings downwards.
Sources close to the consortiums said that the technical and financial aspects of the bids had been stressed as the main points on which a decision would be made. The sources said that the government had reiterated that the project was not in danger of being scrapped.
Transport minister Noel Dempsey has said that the government supports the project, but that it must represent value for money in the current economic climate. The minister said that capital investment projects that generated employment in the construction sector were a priority, and that the rail project should generate several hundred jobs.
However, raising private capital to fund the 17-kilometre link between the city centre and Swords is likely to be challenging for the consortiums. This is expected to be a significant factor in the RPA’s selection of the final offer over the coming months.
The RPA is expected to examine the bids over the next month, before meeting the individual consortiums for briefings and questions on their submissions.The bidders will be given time to elaborate on technical details or variations in their project designs.
The four consortiums are Dublin Express Link, which includes SIAC,H SBC and French Metro operators Keolis; Cathro Consortium,which includes Luas operator Veolia and Siemens; Metro Express, which includes AIB, Transdev and Sisk; and the CelticMetro Group,wh ich is composed of foreign operators and headed by Tokyo-based investment groupMitsui.
Sunday Business Post
www.buckplanning.ie
Sources close to the consortiums said that the technical and financial aspects of the bids had been stressed as the main points on which a decision would be made. The sources said that the government had reiterated that the project was not in danger of being scrapped.
Transport minister Noel Dempsey has said that the government supports the project, but that it must represent value for money in the current economic climate. The minister said that capital investment projects that generated employment in the construction sector were a priority, and that the rail project should generate several hundred jobs.
However, raising private capital to fund the 17-kilometre link between the city centre and Swords is likely to be challenging for the consortiums. This is expected to be a significant factor in the RPA’s selection of the final offer over the coming months.
The RPA is expected to examine the bids over the next month, before meeting the individual consortiums for briefings and questions on their submissions.The bidders will be given time to elaborate on technical details or variations in their project designs.
The four consortiums are Dublin Express Link, which includes SIAC,H SBC and French Metro operators Keolis; Cathro Consortium,which includes Luas operator Veolia and Siemens; Metro Express, which includes AIB, Transdev and Sisk; and the CelticMetro Group,wh ich is composed of foreign operators and headed by Tokyo-based investment groupMitsui.
Sunday Business Post
www.buckplanning.ie
Monday, 29 September 2008
O'Connell monument must be moved for Metro work
THE O'CONNELL monument, which survived the devastation of O'Connell Street during the 1916 Rising and the Civil War, will have to be taken down from its pivotal position to facilitate a huge excavation for one of the underground stops on Metro North.
Other statuary scheduled for temporary removal include the William Smith O'Brien monument on O'Connell Street, the Thomas Moore statue on College Street, and the statues of Lord Ardilaun and Robert Emmet and O'Donovan Rossa memorial in St Stephen's Green.
The Fusiliers' Arch at the northwest corner of the green would have to be removed for the construction of a terminal stop at this location. Railings and trees would also have to be removed as some 20 per cent of the green becomes a building site.
So would the African Rose bowl, erected as recently as 2006, as well as "foot rails, perimeter railings, perimeter granite footpath, granite bollards and metal bollards and Victorian landscaping, including the Pulham rock", according to the the Railway Procurement Agency's Environmental Impact Statement.
St Stephen's Green itself is a national monument. "Detailed requirements and mitigation measures [in relation to the green] have been agreed with the Office of Public Works and the Department of the Environment", it says.
Mitigation measures for the green, which is owned and managed by the OPW, include the replacement of felled trees from the Victorian period with semi-mature trees and "the re-instatement of the existing pond, monuments, walls and railings and Fusilier's Arch".The green is protected by an 1877 Act of Parliament, that would have to be amended to permit part of it to be destroyed by the metro project.
No "method statement" showing how the O'Connell Monument, the Fusiliers' Arch or any other monuments are to be dismantled is included in the lengthy, three-volume statement. But Dublin City Council will be seeking such a statement from the agency.
In 2005, the council spent €300,000 on cleaning and restoring the monument and other statuary in O'Connell Street.
The monument, designed by noted Irish sculptor John Henry Foley, is a tripartite structure in granite and bronze, erected by public subscription in 1882.
Apart from the statue, it has a drum depicting his triumphs and four winged figures at its base. Dismantling it all would be the first of the preliminary works for the O'Connell Bridge underground stop. Construction would involve digging out a deep box on O'Connell Street and another on Westmoreland Street, linked by a tunnel beneath the River Liffey.
"Construction of all elements of the O'Connell Bridge stop will take four years to complete, which is the longest single task in the overall construction phase", the statement says. A 30-metre length of the river would be "decked over" to provide a working area.
Construction of a temporary bridge from Eden Quay to Burgh Quay to cater for some of the traffic diverted from O'Connell Street would result in the "temporary removal of part of the quay wall [a recorded monument] on both sides of the river," it says.
A total of 14 buildings, mainly houses, would have to be demolished along the 18km route between Belinstown, north of Swords, and St Stephen's Green. The most notable landmark is St Vincent's Centre for the Deaf on Drumcondra Road, facing the top of Clonliffe Road.
According to the agency, its demolition is required "to create a plaza area for passengers accessing the stop from Drumcondra Road". It is also needed to provide a works site for a cut-and-cover excavation for the stop, that would link up with the adjoining Maynooth rail line.
Demolition of the four-storey building and its chapel was also chosen because it would avoid diverting traffic and utilities on Drumcondra Road - the main route between the city centre and Dublin airport - if it had been encroached on to dig out the huge station box.
Other buildings scheduled for demolition are six houses on nearby St Alphonsus Avenue, two on North Circular Road, three in Leo Street, Phibsboro, as well as Westfield House on Ballymun Road and another house at Albert College Lawn, adjoining DCU.
All the property owners have been informed, it says. "Compensation will be made to those whose properties will be demolished. Sensitive design and reinstating current land uses where possible will mitigate the impact of these permanent land-takes".
However, in some cases where the demolition of buildings was required for the Sandyford and Tallaght Luas lines, sites remain derelict four years after these lines opened. Old Dundrum Railway Station, a protected structure, is now a fire-damaged, roofless shell.
The Metro North construction programme would result in "some negative socio-economic impacts", particularly in areas of retail, commercial and office-based employment, such as Westmoreland Street and O'Connell Street as well as in Ballymun, it concedes.
The level of disruption is not specifically quantified, although it would be much more severe and last longer than during construction of the two Luas lines through Abbey Street or Harcourt Street. The statement does say that footways of at least three metres would be maintained.
As a result of road closures, bus routes would be diverted and bus stops relocated. "In particular, over 150 bus routes in the city centre will be altered due to the closure of roads that are heavily used by buses, such as Westmoreland Street," the statement says.
• Copies of the full Environmental Impact Statement may be inspected at the offices of the Railway Procurement Agency in Parkgate Business Centre, Parkgate Street, at Dublin City Council's civic offices at Wood Quay, or at the offices of An Bord Pleanála at 64, Marlborough Street.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Other statuary scheduled for temporary removal include the William Smith O'Brien monument on O'Connell Street, the Thomas Moore statue on College Street, and the statues of Lord Ardilaun and Robert Emmet and O'Donovan Rossa memorial in St Stephen's Green.
The Fusiliers' Arch at the northwest corner of the green would have to be removed for the construction of a terminal stop at this location. Railings and trees would also have to be removed as some 20 per cent of the green becomes a building site.
So would the African Rose bowl, erected as recently as 2006, as well as "foot rails, perimeter railings, perimeter granite footpath, granite bollards and metal bollards and Victorian landscaping, including the Pulham rock", according to the the Railway Procurement Agency's Environmental Impact Statement.
St Stephen's Green itself is a national monument. "Detailed requirements and mitigation measures [in relation to the green] have been agreed with the Office of Public Works and the Department of the Environment", it says.
Mitigation measures for the green, which is owned and managed by the OPW, include the replacement of felled trees from the Victorian period with semi-mature trees and "the re-instatement of the existing pond, monuments, walls and railings and Fusilier's Arch".The green is protected by an 1877 Act of Parliament, that would have to be amended to permit part of it to be destroyed by the metro project.
No "method statement" showing how the O'Connell Monument, the Fusiliers' Arch or any other monuments are to be dismantled is included in the lengthy, three-volume statement. But Dublin City Council will be seeking such a statement from the agency.
In 2005, the council spent €300,000 on cleaning and restoring the monument and other statuary in O'Connell Street.
The monument, designed by noted Irish sculptor John Henry Foley, is a tripartite structure in granite and bronze, erected by public subscription in 1882.
Apart from the statue, it has a drum depicting his triumphs and four winged figures at its base. Dismantling it all would be the first of the preliminary works for the O'Connell Bridge underground stop. Construction would involve digging out a deep box on O'Connell Street and another on Westmoreland Street, linked by a tunnel beneath the River Liffey.
"Construction of all elements of the O'Connell Bridge stop will take four years to complete, which is the longest single task in the overall construction phase", the statement says. A 30-metre length of the river would be "decked over" to provide a working area.
Construction of a temporary bridge from Eden Quay to Burgh Quay to cater for some of the traffic diverted from O'Connell Street would result in the "temporary removal of part of the quay wall [a recorded monument] on both sides of the river," it says.
A total of 14 buildings, mainly houses, would have to be demolished along the 18km route between Belinstown, north of Swords, and St Stephen's Green. The most notable landmark is St Vincent's Centre for the Deaf on Drumcondra Road, facing the top of Clonliffe Road.
According to the agency, its demolition is required "to create a plaza area for passengers accessing the stop from Drumcondra Road". It is also needed to provide a works site for a cut-and-cover excavation for the stop, that would link up with the adjoining Maynooth rail line.
Demolition of the four-storey building and its chapel was also chosen because it would avoid diverting traffic and utilities on Drumcondra Road - the main route between the city centre and Dublin airport - if it had been encroached on to dig out the huge station box.
Other buildings scheduled for demolition are six houses on nearby St Alphonsus Avenue, two on North Circular Road, three in Leo Street, Phibsboro, as well as Westfield House on Ballymun Road and another house at Albert College Lawn, adjoining DCU.
All the property owners have been informed, it says. "Compensation will be made to those whose properties will be demolished. Sensitive design and reinstating current land uses where possible will mitigate the impact of these permanent land-takes".
However, in some cases where the demolition of buildings was required for the Sandyford and Tallaght Luas lines, sites remain derelict four years after these lines opened. Old Dundrum Railway Station, a protected structure, is now a fire-damaged, roofless shell.
The Metro North construction programme would result in "some negative socio-economic impacts", particularly in areas of retail, commercial and office-based employment, such as Westmoreland Street and O'Connell Street as well as in Ballymun, it concedes.
The level of disruption is not specifically quantified, although it would be much more severe and last longer than during construction of the two Luas lines through Abbey Street or Harcourt Street. The statement does say that footways of at least three metres would be maintained.
As a result of road closures, bus routes would be diverted and bus stops relocated. "In particular, over 150 bus routes in the city centre will be altered due to the closure of roads that are heavily used by buses, such as Westmoreland Street," the statement says.
• Copies of the full Environmental Impact Statement may be inspected at the offices of the Railway Procurement Agency in Parkgate Business Centre, Parkgate Street, at Dublin City Council's civic offices at Wood Quay, or at the offices of An Bord Pleanála at 64, Marlborough Street.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Sunday, 13 July 2008
Luas on track as profits up to €6.6m
DUBLIN's Luas light rail system made a profit of €6.6m last year, an increase of €2m on 2006.
And the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) said that numbers using the system rose by 10pc in 2007, with 28.4 million passengers choosing to use the tram over the private car.
In its annual report, the RPA also said it expected passenger numbers to grow in 2008 and that it had completed a programme of providing longer trams on the red line to Tallaght, which would provide 40pc more capacity.
The €6.6m surplus will be maintained in a reserve, established to provide funding for future refurbishment of Luas infrastructure.
Over 99pc of services ran on time, and almost seven in 10 Luas passengers use the system four times a week, with 53pc using it to get to work. Meanwhile, 36pc use it to shop, and 30pc for leisure activities.
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
And the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) said that numbers using the system rose by 10pc in 2007, with 28.4 million passengers choosing to use the tram over the private car.
In its annual report, the RPA also said it expected passenger numbers to grow in 2008 and that it had completed a programme of providing longer trams on the red line to Tallaght, which would provide 40pc more capacity.
The €6.6m surplus will be maintained in a reserve, established to provide funding for future refurbishment of Luas infrastructure.
Over 99pc of services ran on time, and almost seven in 10 Luas passengers use the system four times a week, with 53pc using it to get to work. Meanwhile, 36pc use it to shop, and 30pc for leisure activities.
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Monday, 5 May 2008
Metro groups to get detailed project plans
The four consortiums bidding to build the planned Metro North in Dublin will receive detailed specifications for the multibillion euro project in the coming days.
The bidders can begin intensive planning for designs when they receive the specifications from the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) on May 12. Tom Manning, a spokesman for the RPA, confirmed the specifications would be issued next week, which he described as an important milestone for Metro North.
‘‘We are very happy with the progress of the project to date, and the issuing of tenders is one of the key milestones in the development of the Metro,” he said. The RPA plans to apply for a Railway Order for the project in late August or early September, and Manning said ‘‘significant progress’’ had been made on that issue.
However, following requests from the bidders, the deadline for the submission of designs for Metro North has been pushed back by a fortnight to mid-December. The four groups are all either finalising assembly of their project teams - which include engineers, architects, quantity surveyors and rail specialists - or have them in place already.
The four consortiums are Dublin Express Link, which includes SIAC, HSBC and French Metro operators Keolis; Cathro Consortium, which includes Luas operator Veolia and Siemens; Metro Express, which includes AIB, Transdev and Sisk; and the Celtic Metro Group, which is composed of foreign operators and headed by Tokyo-based investment group Mitsui.
The tender proposals will be quite specific and detailed, but each consortium can suggest changes or additions to the RPA’s proposal. Cost will be the overriding issue, but price estimates cannot be gauged until the Railway Order has been secured, as alterations to the route may be required if the order is granted.
The RPA will score each final submission on specifications, and is likely to bring in the individual bidders for question-and-answer sessions. Two of the bids will go forward to a final offer stage.
It will be the end of next year before both stages are completed and one consortium is selected for the contract.
The 17-kilometre Metro North line will run overground and underground from Swords to St Stephen’s Green in the city centre, with 15 stops. About ten kilometres of the route will be underground. The RPA expects the line to carry 34 million passengers a year.
The bidders can begin intensive planning for designs when they receive the specifications from the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) on May 12. Tom Manning, a spokesman for the RPA, confirmed the specifications would be issued next week, which he described as an important milestone for Metro North.
‘‘We are very happy with the progress of the project to date, and the issuing of tenders is one of the key milestones in the development of the Metro,” he said. The RPA plans to apply for a Railway Order for the project in late August or early September, and Manning said ‘‘significant progress’’ had been made on that issue.
However, following requests from the bidders, the deadline for the submission of designs for Metro North has been pushed back by a fortnight to mid-December. The four groups are all either finalising assembly of their project teams - which include engineers, architects, quantity surveyors and rail specialists - or have them in place already.
The four consortiums are Dublin Express Link, which includes SIAC, HSBC and French Metro operators Keolis; Cathro Consortium, which includes Luas operator Veolia and Siemens; Metro Express, which includes AIB, Transdev and Sisk; and the Celtic Metro Group, which is composed of foreign operators and headed by Tokyo-based investment group Mitsui.
The tender proposals will be quite specific and detailed, but each consortium can suggest changes or additions to the RPA’s proposal. Cost will be the overriding issue, but price estimates cannot be gauged until the Railway Order has been secured, as alterations to the route may be required if the order is granted.
The RPA will score each final submission on specifications, and is likely to bring in the individual bidders for question-and-answer sessions. Two of the bids will go forward to a final offer stage.
It will be the end of next year before both stages are completed and one consortium is selected for the contract.
The 17-kilometre Metro North line will run overground and underground from Swords to St Stephen’s Green in the city centre, with 15 stops. About ten kilometres of the route will be underground. The RPA expects the line to carry 34 million passengers a year.
Saturday, 3 May 2008
Proposed Luas line would not meet running cost
A STUDY on a proposed new Luas line from Dundrum to Dublin city centre via Rathfarnham has found that delivery of its most feasible route would have "considerable adverse impacts" and would fall short of covering its operating costs by €2 million a year.
The Rathfarnham "E line" would also require the purchase of 150 private gardens and 10 buildings along the route.
The feasibility study, produced by the Railway Procurement Agency for the Minister for Transport, was presented to local representatives at a meeting yesterday. The 8.4 kilometre route "most likely to be feasible" begins at Christchurch and travels down Patrick Street and Clanbrassil Street before crossing the Grand Canal into Harold's Cross.
The line includes a single track loop between Harold's Cross and Terenure; the outbound track would travel down Brighton Square and on to Brighton Road and the inbound track would follow Terenure Road North, linking in with the outbound track at Rathfarnham Road. It would then travel on to Grange Road and Churchtown Road, terminating at The Oaks in Dundrum, where an interchange with the Luas Green would be built.
A section of the route which would have carried the line from Christchurch over O'Donovan Rossa Bridge to Constitution Hill at Broadstone on the north side of the city, was assessed as not feasible. The study found that there were too many engineering difficulties, including the vertical clearance for a tram at Christchurch Arch, the unsuitability of the bridge and the steep decline at Winetavern Street.
The "E line" would have considerable negative impact on traffic, the study found, and would require the removal of the Rathfarnham Quality Bus Corridor.
It also found that, based on current and projected population figures, passenger demand would not cover the running costs of the line and there would be a shortfall of €2 million a year.
Substantial property acquisition would be required: 150 private gardens would need to be purchased including some on Clanbrassil Street, Harold's Cross Road and at the Terenure Cross and Brighton Square junction. Some 112 gardens along the Rathfarnham to Dundrum section would be affected, including 50 on Grange Road and Nutgrove Avenue. Some 10 buildings would also have to be purchased.
As part of the study, an archaeological desktop report found that any route section located within the city's medieval town walls, "may have direct and indirect impact on a number of protected structures and national monuments, with an additional potential for impact on previously undiscovered archaeological remains".
Fianna Fáil TD Chris Andrews welcomed the report, but said a lot more detail and consultation would be required before a final decision on the line could be made.
Fine Gael spokeswoman on transport Olivia Mitchell said she was "bitterly disappointed" that the study looked at only one route.
"The plan is to build a Luas network in Dublin, and expanding areas including Rathfarnham, Templeogue and Knocklyon should be serviced as part of the overall network," she said.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The Rathfarnham "E line" would also require the purchase of 150 private gardens and 10 buildings along the route.
The feasibility study, produced by the Railway Procurement Agency for the Minister for Transport, was presented to local representatives at a meeting yesterday. The 8.4 kilometre route "most likely to be feasible" begins at Christchurch and travels down Patrick Street and Clanbrassil Street before crossing the Grand Canal into Harold's Cross.
The line includes a single track loop between Harold's Cross and Terenure; the outbound track would travel down Brighton Square and on to Brighton Road and the inbound track would follow Terenure Road North, linking in with the outbound track at Rathfarnham Road. It would then travel on to Grange Road and Churchtown Road, terminating at The Oaks in Dundrum, where an interchange with the Luas Green would be built.
A section of the route which would have carried the line from Christchurch over O'Donovan Rossa Bridge to Constitution Hill at Broadstone on the north side of the city, was assessed as not feasible. The study found that there were too many engineering difficulties, including the vertical clearance for a tram at Christchurch Arch, the unsuitability of the bridge and the steep decline at Winetavern Street.
The "E line" would have considerable negative impact on traffic, the study found, and would require the removal of the Rathfarnham Quality Bus Corridor.
It also found that, based on current and projected population figures, passenger demand would not cover the running costs of the line and there would be a shortfall of €2 million a year.
Substantial property acquisition would be required: 150 private gardens would need to be purchased including some on Clanbrassil Street, Harold's Cross Road and at the Terenure Cross and Brighton Square junction. Some 112 gardens along the Rathfarnham to Dundrum section would be affected, including 50 on Grange Road and Nutgrove Avenue. Some 10 buildings would also have to be purchased.
As part of the study, an archaeological desktop report found that any route section located within the city's medieval town walls, "may have direct and indirect impact on a number of protected structures and national monuments, with an additional potential for impact on previously undiscovered archaeological remains".
Fianna Fáil TD Chris Andrews welcomed the report, but said a lot more detail and consultation would be required before a final decision on the line could be made.
Fine Gael spokeswoman on transport Olivia Mitchell said she was "bitterly disappointed" that the study looked at only one route.
"The plan is to build a Luas network in Dublin, and expanding areas including Rathfarnham, Templeogue and Knocklyon should be serviced as part of the overall network," she said.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Wednesday, 6 February 2008
Dempsey derails ambitious CIÉ plan and opts for new Luas line
Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey last night informed CIÉ that it will have to drop ambitious plans for a heavy rail hub at Broadstone in Dublin in favour of a Luas line under the aegis of the Rail Procurement Agency (RPA), The Irish Times has established.
The key Broadstone depot - located a short distance from the quays in the northside of the city - has been the subject of what has been, in effect, a "turf war" between CIÉ and the RPA. Both agencies have wrangled over how it should be utilised in the future - at one stage CIÉ denied the other transport agency access to the site, prompting then minister Martin Cullen to make a personal intervention.
The site was earmarked for a Luas-type operation as far back as 1996 with plans to set up a new extension using the old Broadstone railway alignment, which is no longer in use.
But last summer, CIÉ submitted an alternative plan for Broadstone as a transport hub for heavy-duty rail. The blueprint was ambitious in scope.
Broadstone would become a new rail depot that would serve intercity trains from Galway along with commuter services from Maynooth, Navan and Kildare.
CIÉ said the expansion of Broadstone was vital to cater for significant expansion in rail services and huge increases in passenger numbers. It would also ease the pressure on Connolly Station.
But The Irish Times has learned that Mr Dempsey wrote to all the transport agencies yesterday informing them that he intends to allow the RPA to proceed with planning the Luas line along the agreed alignment using Broadstone.
In the letter, Mr Dempsey also mandated CIÉ to make an early application for planning permission to retain its dockland station on a permanent basis.
The dockland station was expected to be operational for 10 years but the upshot of Mr Dempsey's decision is that it will now be made permanent, and will become the station catering for commuter services from Maynooth, Navan and Kildare.
The Minister's decision was based on a study he commissioned from specialist consultants Booz Hamilton Allen (BHA) on the CIÉ plans.
Using traffic projection models, BHA concluded that a heavy-rail depot at Broadstone was not required and that a permanent dockland railway station would comfortably accommodate commuter rail services.
The CIÉ plans were predicated on projected population increases based on Central Statistics Office data.
However, BHA concluded that even with the largest projected increase in rail traffic, a heavy rail hub at Broadstone, was not required.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The key Broadstone depot - located a short distance from the quays in the northside of the city - has been the subject of what has been, in effect, a "turf war" between CIÉ and the RPA. Both agencies have wrangled over how it should be utilised in the future - at one stage CIÉ denied the other transport agency access to the site, prompting then minister Martin Cullen to make a personal intervention.
The site was earmarked for a Luas-type operation as far back as 1996 with plans to set up a new extension using the old Broadstone railway alignment, which is no longer in use.
But last summer, CIÉ submitted an alternative plan for Broadstone as a transport hub for heavy-duty rail. The blueprint was ambitious in scope.
Broadstone would become a new rail depot that would serve intercity trains from Galway along with commuter services from Maynooth, Navan and Kildare.
CIÉ said the expansion of Broadstone was vital to cater for significant expansion in rail services and huge increases in passenger numbers. It would also ease the pressure on Connolly Station.
But The Irish Times has learned that Mr Dempsey wrote to all the transport agencies yesterday informing them that he intends to allow the RPA to proceed with planning the Luas line along the agreed alignment using Broadstone.
In the letter, Mr Dempsey also mandated CIÉ to make an early application for planning permission to retain its dockland station on a permanent basis.
The dockland station was expected to be operational for 10 years but the upshot of Mr Dempsey's decision is that it will now be made permanent, and will become the station catering for commuter services from Maynooth, Navan and Kildare.
The Minister's decision was based on a study he commissioned from specialist consultants Booz Hamilton Allen (BHA) on the CIÉ plans.
Using traffic projection models, BHA concluded that a heavy-rail depot at Broadstone was not required and that a permanent dockland railway station would comfortably accommodate commuter rail services.
The CIÉ plans were predicated on projected population increases based on Central Statistics Office data.
However, BHA concluded that even with the largest projected increase in rail traffic, a heavy rail hub at Broadstone, was not required.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Dempsey derails ambitious CIÉ plan and opts for new Luas line
Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey last night informed CIÉ that it will have to drop ambitious plans for a heavy rail hub at Broadstone in Dublin in favour of a Luas line under the aegis of the Rail Procurement Agency (RPA), The Irish Times has established.
The key Broadstone depot - located a short distance from the quays in the northside of the city - has been the subject of what has been, in effect, a "turf war" between CIÉ and the RPA. Both agencies have wrangled over how it should be utilised in the future - at one stage CIÉ denied the other transport agency access to the site, prompting then minister Martin Cullen to make a personal intervention.
The site was earmarked for a Luas-type operation as far back as 1996 with plans to set up a new extension using the old Broadstone railway alignment, which is no longer in use.
But last summer, CIÉ submitted an alternative plan for Broadstone as a transport hub for heavy-duty rail. The blueprint was ambitious in scope.
Broadstone would become a new rail depot that would serve intercity trains from Galway along with commuter services from Maynooth, Navan and Kildare.
CIÉ said the expansion of Broadstone was vital to cater for significant expansion in rail services and huge increases in passenger numbers. It would also ease the pressure on Connolly Station.
But The Irish Times has learned that Mr Dempsey wrote to all the transport agencies yesterday informing them that he intends to allow the RPA to proceed with planning the Luas line along the agreed alignment using Broadstone.
In the letter, Mr Dempsey also mandated CIÉ to make an early application for planning permission to retain its dockland station on a permanent basis.
The dockland station was expected to be operational for 10 years but the upshot of Mr Dempsey's decision is that it will now be made permanent, and will become the station catering for commuter services from Maynooth, Navan and Kildare.
The Minister's decision was based on a study he commissioned from specialist consultants Booz Hamilton Allen (BHA) on the CIÉ plans.
Using traffic projection models, BHA concluded that a heavy-rail depot at Broadstone was not required and that a permanent dockland railway station would comfortably accommodate commuter rail services.
The CIÉ plans were predicated on projected population increases based on Central Statistics Office data.
However, BHA concluded that even with the largest projected increase in rail traffic, a heavy rail hub at Broadstone, was not required.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The key Broadstone depot - located a short distance from the quays in the northside of the city - has been the subject of what has been, in effect, a "turf war" between CIÉ and the RPA. Both agencies have wrangled over how it should be utilised in the future - at one stage CIÉ denied the other transport agency access to the site, prompting then minister Martin Cullen to make a personal intervention.
The site was earmarked for a Luas-type operation as far back as 1996 with plans to set up a new extension using the old Broadstone railway alignment, which is no longer in use.
But last summer, CIÉ submitted an alternative plan for Broadstone as a transport hub for heavy-duty rail. The blueprint was ambitious in scope.
Broadstone would become a new rail depot that would serve intercity trains from Galway along with commuter services from Maynooth, Navan and Kildare.
CIÉ said the expansion of Broadstone was vital to cater for significant expansion in rail services and huge increases in passenger numbers. It would also ease the pressure on Connolly Station.
But The Irish Times has learned that Mr Dempsey wrote to all the transport agencies yesterday informing them that he intends to allow the RPA to proceed with planning the Luas line along the agreed alignment using Broadstone.
In the letter, Mr Dempsey also mandated CIÉ to make an early application for planning permission to retain its dockland station on a permanent basis.
The dockland station was expected to be operational for 10 years but the upshot of Mr Dempsey's decision is that it will now be made permanent, and will become the station catering for commuter services from Maynooth, Navan and Kildare.
The Minister's decision was based on a study he commissioned from specialist consultants Booz Hamilton Allen (BHA) on the CIÉ plans.
Using traffic projection models, BHA concluded that a heavy-rail depot at Broadstone was not required and that a permanent dockland railway station would comfortably accommodate commuter rail services.
The CIÉ plans were predicated on projected population increases based on Central Statistics Office data.
However, BHA concluded that even with the largest projected increase in rail traffic, a heavy rail hub at Broadstone, was not required.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Thursday, 5 July 2007
Winner and loser on Metro
LIFFEY Valley Shopping Centre is to win and Lucan to lose when the route of Metro West is announced today.
The Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) is expected to announce this afternoon that the capital's latest rail project will run from Tallaght via Clondalkin before linking up with Metro North near Ballymun.
It is believed that the RPA has chosen a route which starts in Tallaght. It will serve Tallaght village, Clondalkin town centre, Liffey Valley Shopping Centre and Blanchardstown town centre and Abbotstown, before linking up with Metro North south of Dublin airport. It will run for 28km and is expected to be complete by 2014.
Irish Independent
The Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) is expected to announce this afternoon that the capital's latest rail project will run from Tallaght via Clondalkin before linking up with Metro North near Ballymun.
It is believed that the RPA has chosen a route which starts in Tallaght. It will serve Tallaght village, Clondalkin town centre, Liffey Valley Shopping Centre and Blanchardstown town centre and Abbotstown, before linking up with Metro North south of Dublin airport. It will run for 28km and is expected to be complete by 2014.
Irish Independent
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