ONE OF three new rail stations on the reopened Dunboyne railway line is to remain closed until a road is built linking it to the nearest town.
Hansfield station, at the southern end of the 7.5km line, is to remain closed because a road to the station has not yet been provided by developers.
The reopened railway route runs from Clonsilla on the Maynooth commuter line via Hansfield, and on to a new transport interchange to be known as M3 Parkway just north of Dunboyne, Co Meath.
However, in a second blow for the new service, Bus Éireann has said it will only divert one of its routes, the 111, to serve the transport interchange. The 111 route serves Granard, Athboy , Trim and Dublin.
Dublin Bus which serves Dunboyne said it would not to serve the interchange at all.
The M3 Parkway will, however, include Ireland’s largest park-and-ride site, a 1,200-vehicle facility at the southern end of the M3 toll motorway.
The reopening of the rail service was completed by Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey yesterday and services for the public get under way this morning.
It was reopened at a cost of €160 million. The route from Clonsilla to Navan was closed in 1963, but Dunboyne has not been served by rail since 1947.
The new service from the M3 Parkway offers a peak journey time of 31 minutes to Dublin and 27 minutes from Dunboyne to Dublin, with services operating every half hour in each direction at peak times.
The service will operate to Docklands station from Monday to Friday and to Connolly station at weekends.
“People deserve reliable public transport options,” Mr Dempsey said, “and that’s what this new service will provide here in Meath.”
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Showing posts with label rail planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rail planning. Show all posts
Friday, 3 September 2010
Tuesday, 20 April 2010
€22m Dart station: Clongriffin unveiled
DUBLIN’S NEWEST Dart station was opened yesterday by Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey at Clongriffin, North Dublin.
Construction of the €22 million station was a condition of the planning permissions for the Clongriffin and Coast housing developments. Approximately 65 per cent of the cost was borne by Gannon Homes, builders of Clongriffin with the remainder funded by Coast developers Helsingor.
Iarnród Éireann, which was responsible for the design and running of the station said it will take just 17 minutes to reach the city centre by Dart from Clongriffin, with 63 trains a day serving the station.
Clongriffin, on the border of Fingal and Dublin city was initially planned as a new “north fringe” town to have a population of 30,000 to 40,000, and facilities such as a cinema, department store, supermarket, and other facilities.
The eventual population has now been revised to about 25,000. So far about 4,000 homes have been built, a large number of which remain for sale. Few of the retail units are occupied, although a Centra store, off-licence, Chinese restaurant and a pharmacy have opened.
The development of the new town has suffered as a result of the property collapse. But the developers hope the opening of the new station will give fresh impetus to sales.
The station will also serve the existing communities of Baldoyle and Donaghmede and a park and ride facility with 400 spaces for commuters has been provided.
Local Labour councillor Seán Kenny said residents of a neighbouring development could not get to the station because developer Stanley Holdings was leaving roads unfinished.
“It is regrettable that commuters in nearby Belmayne will be unable to access Clongriffin directly, due to the foot-dragging delays by Coalport and Stanley Holdings in completing the Priory Hall Road and the connecting Main Street, Belmayne” he said.
Speaking at the station opening Mr Dempsey said its development was an example of a successful public private partnership scheme.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Construction of the €22 million station was a condition of the planning permissions for the Clongriffin and Coast housing developments. Approximately 65 per cent of the cost was borne by Gannon Homes, builders of Clongriffin with the remainder funded by Coast developers Helsingor.
Iarnród Éireann, which was responsible for the design and running of the station said it will take just 17 minutes to reach the city centre by Dart from Clongriffin, with 63 trains a day serving the station.
Clongriffin, on the border of Fingal and Dublin city was initially planned as a new “north fringe” town to have a population of 30,000 to 40,000, and facilities such as a cinema, department store, supermarket, and other facilities.
The eventual population has now been revised to about 25,000. So far about 4,000 homes have been built, a large number of which remain for sale. Few of the retail units are occupied, although a Centra store, off-licence, Chinese restaurant and a pharmacy have opened.
The development of the new town has suffered as a result of the property collapse. But the developers hope the opening of the new station will give fresh impetus to sales.
The station will also serve the existing communities of Baldoyle and Donaghmede and a park and ride facility with 400 spaces for commuters has been provided.
Local Labour councillor Seán Kenny said residents of a neighbouring development could not get to the station because developer Stanley Holdings was leaving roads unfinished.
“It is regrettable that commuters in nearby Belmayne will be unable to access Clongriffin directly, due to the foot-dragging delays by Coalport and Stanley Holdings in completing the Priory Hall Road and the connecting Main Street, Belmayne” he said.
Speaking at the station opening Mr Dempsey said its development was an example of a successful public private partnership scheme.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Sunday, 30 August 2009
No quick fix to bridge the gap
The collapse of the viaduct at Malahide severed the northern rail route – can it really be fixed within three months?
IF JOE O’DONOVAN, the engineer who designed both the Dundrum Luas bridge and the M1 bridge over the River Boyne, was still alive today, there’s no doubt he would be intrigued by the problems posed by the collpase of the Broadmeadow viaduct to the north of Malahide, Co Dublin and how they can be resolved to reinstate the severed northern railway line.
Joe died last year, long before he might have applied his mind to it. But other structural engineers in Dublin, many underemployed as a result of the recession, have gone out to the estuary to have a look at the damage – motivated by a mixture of sheer curiosity and the chance of bidding for work.
What to do next is the conundrum facing Iarnród Éireann. “It’s a very difficult problem,” says one engineer with long experience of railways. “The immediate thing is to establish whether works need to be carried out on the remainder of the viaduct, before they start looking at possible interim measures, such as a temporary bridge.
“Even if they had a spare bridge that they could stick in the gap, how sure would they be that the rest of the structure would stay up? And if it does need to be replaced, you have to remember that Broadmeadow Estuary is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), and that would mean doing a full environmental impact statement (EIS).”
He recalled that the National Roads Authority had “horrendous problems” in building a bridge across the estuary to carry the M1. For not only is it designated an SAC under the EU Habitats Directive, but also a Special Protection Area (SPA) under the Birds Directive – mainly to protect migratory Brent Geese. Thus, any new viaduct or bridge would have to go through the planning process, even though it would qualify for a direct application to An Bord Pleanála under the Strategic Infrastructure Act. “You’re talking about a long time-scale for that, a lot longer than three months,” the railway engineer warns.
A leading structural engineer, who does not wish to be named, describes the Broadmeadow viaduct as “not dissimilar to most of the national infrastructure we’ve inherited, like all those masonry arch bridges designed for the horse-and-cart era that are still standing today – even under the weight of Glanbia tankers”.
The viaduct has a span of 182m (600ft) and was first built by the Dublin Drogheda Railway in 1844 – rather optimistically from timber. This was replaced in 1860 by the Great Northern Railway with a wrought-iron superstructure standing on 11 stone piers grounded in a seabed causeway. Ten of these are still standing. In the 1960s, the wrought iron was replaced by a pre-stressed concrete deck. It was a 20m section of this deck that collapsed on Friday, August 21st, after one of the stone piers crumbled beneath it.
As reported in The Irish Times on Wednesday, Iarnród Éireann was alerted the previous Monday by a leader of Malahide Sea Scouts that the viaduct could be in danger. As regular users of the estuary for watersports, they had noticed a “massive change in the water flow over the past two months”, one of his colleagues says. A third of the water was going through one of the arches that collapsed, because this part of the seabed causeway had been breached over the past two months – effectively creating “rapids” under this arch right alongside the pier that crumbled.
It was possibly because the damage was below the water at high tide that it wasn’t spotted during an inspection carried out the following day. Neither was any deviation from normal conditions picked up by the track-monitoring vehicle that passed over the viaduct on Thursday, just 24 hours before the collapse.
Whatever about what precisely went wrong, Iarnród Éireann’s priority now is to get the railway line opened as quickly as possible. According to the structural engineer, this could be done by spanning the gap, with or without rebuilding the missing pier. “The pier could also be replaced quite easily, if that option was chosen.”
He says this could be done by driving steel piles into the seabed, either from a barge or from the viaduct itself – assuming that the rest of it is stable. This would be “a pragmatic engineering solution” that would allow the line to be reopened relatively quickly, rather than “going for something more complex”.
Strengthening works might also be needed to reinforce the remaining 10 piers, if this was necessary. In his view, merely because they are nearly 150 years old doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t stay standing to get the viaduct “up and running and perfectly safe”. In the long-term, a replacement could be considered.
Many of the elements of a new viaduct could be prefabricated and slotted into place in Broadmeadow Estuary. The new Samuel Beckett Bridge in Dublin’s docklands, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, was shipped from Rotterdam; cable-stayed on a pivot, its span is 123m. The Boyne Bridge west of Drogheda is also cable-stayed, but with a taller “inverted Y” pylon to support its 400m span. Another structural engineer suggested a conventional viaduct supported by fewer intermediate piers.
Any replacement viaduct would first have to be designed and then subjected to an EIS. Then it would have to go through the planning process which, as the structural engineer notes, “can’t be done overnight”.
Only after getting the all-clear could it be built. The viaduct carried 90 trains each weekday, including three with zinc ore from Tara Mines. For the mining company and for 10,000 commuters, the sooner it’s reopened the better.
HOW WAS IT FOR YOU?
Following the collapse of the viaduct, commuters were faced with some difficult journeys.
Pamela Duncan looks at how the week went
THE COMMUTERS
There were mixed reports from commuters, with some happy with the alternative bus arrangements - even though drivers took different routes and some had to be directed by passengers. Others, such as commuters in Rush and Lusk in north Co Dublin, found themselves unable to get on full buses.
Ruairi Hickey, who commutes to and from the city centre from Collon near Drogheda, says his week has been “pretty poor”. “I’ve been trying all the different ways of coming in. There’s a private bus from Carrickmacross – goes through Collon on the N2 – so I tried that. That was OK coming in in the morning – gets you in in about an hour but I left the office at 5pm on Monday and I didn’t get home until 7.10pm whereas if I left the office at 5.10pm to get the train I’d be in Drogheda at 6.05pm so it’s a long day. I drove yesterday because I had to work late but it’s what, nearly €2 for the toll at Drogheda and €12 for the tunnel, so it’s €14 in and €14 out – that’s €28 a day – that’s too expensive. Lifestyle-wise, I coach kids rugby two nights a week and that kicks off at 6.30pm, so there’s no way I can get back for that at the moment.”
THE DRIVERS
Conor Faughnan of AA Roadwatch says that disruptions to traffic were minimal this week but warns that the worst is yet to come. Faughnan says traffic has been a “little heavier” incoming on the M1 but said that this was a “very false picture”. He says that the actual impact will not be known until the second week in September when school-goers and late holiday makers have all returned to the roads. “There is no doubt that traffic volumes are going to worsen as surely as night follows day . . . How badly this will affect the north of the city – we’ll find that out in the next couple of weeks.”
THE BUSES
Andrew McLindon, media and PR manager for Bus Éireann, says the company has been “coping fine” with the extra volumes of passengers. “We will have to factor in that schools are back next week but we will be monitoring that situation on an hourly and daily basis.” Maria Brennan, Dublin Bus press officer, says the company had had a “fine week”. “We’re very happy with the way everything went. We’ve put on an extra 16 buses but we will continue to monitor the situation when the schools come back next week and we may put on extra buses if necessary.”
THE CAR-POOLERS
Alan Field, the founder of carpool.ie, says there has been an increase in carpool matches as a result of the rail disruption: “We’ve definitely seen an increase in the number of people along that route.”
20,000
The estimated number of daily rail journeys which have been affected by the viaduct collapse
76
The number of extra Dublin Bus/Bus Éireann buses which have been provided each day since the disruption
€24
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
IF JOE O’DONOVAN, the engineer who designed both the Dundrum Luas bridge and the M1 bridge over the River Boyne, was still alive today, there’s no doubt he would be intrigued by the problems posed by the collpase of the Broadmeadow viaduct to the north of Malahide, Co Dublin and how they can be resolved to reinstate the severed northern railway line.
Joe died last year, long before he might have applied his mind to it. But other structural engineers in Dublin, many underemployed as a result of the recession, have gone out to the estuary to have a look at the damage – motivated by a mixture of sheer curiosity and the chance of bidding for work.
What to do next is the conundrum facing Iarnród Éireann. “It’s a very difficult problem,” says one engineer with long experience of railways. “The immediate thing is to establish whether works need to be carried out on the remainder of the viaduct, before they start looking at possible interim measures, such as a temporary bridge.
“Even if they had a spare bridge that they could stick in the gap, how sure would they be that the rest of the structure would stay up? And if it does need to be replaced, you have to remember that Broadmeadow Estuary is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), and that would mean doing a full environmental impact statement (EIS).”
He recalled that the National Roads Authority had “horrendous problems” in building a bridge across the estuary to carry the M1. For not only is it designated an SAC under the EU Habitats Directive, but also a Special Protection Area (SPA) under the Birds Directive – mainly to protect migratory Brent Geese. Thus, any new viaduct or bridge would have to go through the planning process, even though it would qualify for a direct application to An Bord Pleanála under the Strategic Infrastructure Act. “You’re talking about a long time-scale for that, a lot longer than three months,” the railway engineer warns.
A leading structural engineer, who does not wish to be named, describes the Broadmeadow viaduct as “not dissimilar to most of the national infrastructure we’ve inherited, like all those masonry arch bridges designed for the horse-and-cart era that are still standing today – even under the weight of Glanbia tankers”.
The viaduct has a span of 182m (600ft) and was first built by the Dublin Drogheda Railway in 1844 – rather optimistically from timber. This was replaced in 1860 by the Great Northern Railway with a wrought-iron superstructure standing on 11 stone piers grounded in a seabed causeway. Ten of these are still standing. In the 1960s, the wrought iron was replaced by a pre-stressed concrete deck. It was a 20m section of this deck that collapsed on Friday, August 21st, after one of the stone piers crumbled beneath it.
As reported in The Irish Times on Wednesday, Iarnród Éireann was alerted the previous Monday by a leader of Malahide Sea Scouts that the viaduct could be in danger. As regular users of the estuary for watersports, they had noticed a “massive change in the water flow over the past two months”, one of his colleagues says. A third of the water was going through one of the arches that collapsed, because this part of the seabed causeway had been breached over the past two months – effectively creating “rapids” under this arch right alongside the pier that crumbled.
It was possibly because the damage was below the water at high tide that it wasn’t spotted during an inspection carried out the following day. Neither was any deviation from normal conditions picked up by the track-monitoring vehicle that passed over the viaduct on Thursday, just 24 hours before the collapse.
Whatever about what precisely went wrong, Iarnród Éireann’s priority now is to get the railway line opened as quickly as possible. According to the structural engineer, this could be done by spanning the gap, with or without rebuilding the missing pier. “The pier could also be replaced quite easily, if that option was chosen.”
He says this could be done by driving steel piles into the seabed, either from a barge or from the viaduct itself – assuming that the rest of it is stable. This would be “a pragmatic engineering solution” that would allow the line to be reopened relatively quickly, rather than “going for something more complex”.
Strengthening works might also be needed to reinforce the remaining 10 piers, if this was necessary. In his view, merely because they are nearly 150 years old doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t stay standing to get the viaduct “up and running and perfectly safe”. In the long-term, a replacement could be considered.
Many of the elements of a new viaduct could be prefabricated and slotted into place in Broadmeadow Estuary. The new Samuel Beckett Bridge in Dublin’s docklands, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, was shipped from Rotterdam; cable-stayed on a pivot, its span is 123m. The Boyne Bridge west of Drogheda is also cable-stayed, but with a taller “inverted Y” pylon to support its 400m span. Another structural engineer suggested a conventional viaduct supported by fewer intermediate piers.
Any replacement viaduct would first have to be designed and then subjected to an EIS. Then it would have to go through the planning process which, as the structural engineer notes, “can’t be done overnight”.
Only after getting the all-clear could it be built. The viaduct carried 90 trains each weekday, including three with zinc ore from Tara Mines. For the mining company and for 10,000 commuters, the sooner it’s reopened the better.
HOW WAS IT FOR YOU?
Following the collapse of the viaduct, commuters were faced with some difficult journeys.
Pamela Duncan looks at how the week went
THE COMMUTERS
There were mixed reports from commuters, with some happy with the alternative bus arrangements - even though drivers took different routes and some had to be directed by passengers. Others, such as commuters in Rush and Lusk in north Co Dublin, found themselves unable to get on full buses.
Ruairi Hickey, who commutes to and from the city centre from Collon near Drogheda, says his week has been “pretty poor”. “I’ve been trying all the different ways of coming in. There’s a private bus from Carrickmacross – goes through Collon on the N2 – so I tried that. That was OK coming in in the morning – gets you in in about an hour but I left the office at 5pm on Monday and I didn’t get home until 7.10pm whereas if I left the office at 5.10pm to get the train I’d be in Drogheda at 6.05pm so it’s a long day. I drove yesterday because I had to work late but it’s what, nearly €2 for the toll at Drogheda and €12 for the tunnel, so it’s €14 in and €14 out – that’s €28 a day – that’s too expensive. Lifestyle-wise, I coach kids rugby two nights a week and that kicks off at 6.30pm, so there’s no way I can get back for that at the moment.”
THE DRIVERS
Conor Faughnan of AA Roadwatch says that disruptions to traffic were minimal this week but warns that the worst is yet to come. Faughnan says traffic has been a “little heavier” incoming on the M1 but said that this was a “very false picture”. He says that the actual impact will not be known until the second week in September when school-goers and late holiday makers have all returned to the roads. “There is no doubt that traffic volumes are going to worsen as surely as night follows day . . . How badly this will affect the north of the city – we’ll find that out in the next couple of weeks.”
THE BUSES
Andrew McLindon, media and PR manager for Bus Éireann, says the company has been “coping fine” with the extra volumes of passengers. “We will have to factor in that schools are back next week but we will be monitoring that situation on an hourly and daily basis.” Maria Brennan, Dublin Bus press officer, says the company had had a “fine week”. “We’re very happy with the way everything went. We’ve put on an extra 16 buses but we will continue to monitor the situation when the schools come back next week and we may put on extra buses if necessary.”
THE CAR-POOLERS
Alan Field, the founder of carpool.ie, says there has been an increase in carpool matches as a result of the rail disruption: “We’ve definitely seen an increase in the number of people along that route.”
20,000
The estimated number of daily rail journeys which have been affected by the viaduct collapse
76
The number of extra Dublin Bus/Bus Éireann buses which have been provided each day since the disruption
€24
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Thursday, 27 August 2009
Iarnród Éireann says work is progressing on western rail link
IARNRÓD ÉIREANN has denied that a delay in the reopening of the western rail corridor has anything to do with the McCarthy report which claimed the project may not be viable.
The Ennis to Athenry line, which has been derelict since closing in 1976, was expected to reopen this month. However, Iarnród Éireann has now confirmed that services will not start until early December. The company has said the project is progressing, and that no mention has been made to it of the contents of the McCarthy report.
A spokeswoman said the latest delay had occurred because “tamping machinery” operating on the project has had to be seconded to carry out emergency work on the Sligo to Dublin line.
“The track has been laid and the line is complete and we are pressing ahead, although we are a small bit behind schedule. We still have some other work to carry out, for example, we are still completing works on the station and car park at Sixmilebridge.”
Explaining the reason for the delay, she added: “Tamping machines are used to go over the track and stress-test it before we can let trains run on it. There were some issues on the line in Sligo, so these tamping machines had to be diverted there from where they had been working on the Ennis to Athenry line. These machines are now back and working on the line, and we now expect a start date in early December.” The project is the only piece of transport infrastructure mentioned in the McCarthy report, raising fears that it could face the axe. There are also concerns the delay in opening the line has been orchestrated until the Government has decided which elements of the report will be implemented.
Clare Green Party councillor Brian Meaney said: “It would be a gross misuse of funds now not to complete the project when it is already practically complete.
“The issue of public transport links to two of the largest urban centres on the west coast greatly enhances the sustainability and future, both environmentally and economically, of the Limerick-Shannon-Ennis-Galway region.”
A spokesman for the West on Track Community Campaign has accused the author of the McCarthy report of “targeting the west of Ireland”. Colmán Ó Raghallaigh said: “The western rail corridor is a valid and sensible project, is supported by over 100,000 people, can be done at tremendous value to the taxpayer, and will be as viable as any other rail project in Ireland.
“The McCarthy report has chosen to pick one project from the plan that should be axed – the western rail corridor – which is about 1 per cent of the total budget.”
He added: “Colm McCarthy is targeting the west of Ireland and applying his Dublin 4 vision and prejudices to a completely different set of circumstances.”
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The Ennis to Athenry line, which has been derelict since closing in 1976, was expected to reopen this month. However, Iarnród Éireann has now confirmed that services will not start until early December. The company has said the project is progressing, and that no mention has been made to it of the contents of the McCarthy report.
A spokeswoman said the latest delay had occurred because “tamping machinery” operating on the project has had to be seconded to carry out emergency work on the Sligo to Dublin line.
“The track has been laid and the line is complete and we are pressing ahead, although we are a small bit behind schedule. We still have some other work to carry out, for example, we are still completing works on the station and car park at Sixmilebridge.”
Explaining the reason for the delay, she added: “Tamping machines are used to go over the track and stress-test it before we can let trains run on it. There were some issues on the line in Sligo, so these tamping machines had to be diverted there from where they had been working on the Ennis to Athenry line. These machines are now back and working on the line, and we now expect a start date in early December.” The project is the only piece of transport infrastructure mentioned in the McCarthy report, raising fears that it could face the axe. There are also concerns the delay in opening the line has been orchestrated until the Government has decided which elements of the report will be implemented.
Clare Green Party councillor Brian Meaney said: “It would be a gross misuse of funds now not to complete the project when it is already practically complete.
“The issue of public transport links to two of the largest urban centres on the west coast greatly enhances the sustainability and future, both environmentally and economically, of the Limerick-Shannon-Ennis-Galway region.”
A spokesman for the West on Track Community Campaign has accused the author of the McCarthy report of “targeting the west of Ireland”. Colmán Ó Raghallaigh said: “The western rail corridor is a valid and sensible project, is supported by over 100,000 people, can be done at tremendous value to the taxpayer, and will be as viable as any other rail project in Ireland.
“The McCarthy report has chosen to pick one project from the plan that should be axed – the western rail corridor – which is about 1 per cent of the total budget.”
He added: “Colm McCarthy is targeting the west of Ireland and applying his Dublin 4 vision and prejudices to a completely different set of circumstances.”
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Tuesday, 16 June 2009
July date set for Cork to Midleton rail line Read more: http://www.examiner.ie/ireland/july-date-set-for-cork-to-midleton-rail-line-94185.html#ixzz0I
A NEW deadline of July 27 has been set for the long-awaited opening of the €75 million Cork-Midleton commuter rail service.
But senior Iarnród Éireann officials conceded the commencement date was, however, dependent on a green light from the Railway Safety Commission.
The commission is currently examining the track, signalling and stations along the route. Once it has given approval Iarnród Éireann will put trains on the line and start training its drivers on route familiarisation.
Fortunately, it now looks as though there is some light at the end of the tunnel in a long-running saga which at times descended into farce.
Just a few weeks ago Transport Minister Noel Dempsey came down to the new railway station in Midleton to announce the service’s timetable.
But he couldn’t provide people with the actual start-up date. The ministerial photo-session took place in a train at the station. But the train didn’t move, because it wasn’t certified to carry passengers.
On numerous occasions during the past few years both Mr Dempsey and his predecessor at the department, the late Seamus Brennan, have attended photoshoots along the track.
Iarnród Éireann prided itself in the connectivity of the service with the Dublin train. However, the ink wasn’t dry on the timetable when eagle-eyed TD David Stanton noticed a major mistake. The first train out of Midleton in the morning would arrive eight minutes after the Dublin-bound train had left Kent station. As Mr Stanton pointed out, that would be the train most people would have to get in order to be in the capital for an early business meeting. Red-faced Iarnród Éireann officials said they would try and address the situation.
Midleton Chamber of Commerce president Cillian O’Sullivan said his members had also been informed by Iarnród Éireann officials that the first commuter trains would start rolling during the week commencing July 27. "We met with people from Irish Rail last week and informed our members. We would like to see the railway line open as soon as possible," Mr O’Sullivan said.
Businesspeople in Midleton – which is regarded as one of the finest shopping towns in Munster – will be hoping to cash-in on the rail link by attracting customers from Cork city.
It will also make the town increasingly attractive for home buyers, as the train will also connect with Carrigtwohill, Glounthaune, and a large number of factories in Little Island.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
But senior Iarnród Éireann officials conceded the commencement date was, however, dependent on a green light from the Railway Safety Commission.
The commission is currently examining the track, signalling and stations along the route. Once it has given approval Iarnród Éireann will put trains on the line and start training its drivers on route familiarisation.
Fortunately, it now looks as though there is some light at the end of the tunnel in a long-running saga which at times descended into farce.
Just a few weeks ago Transport Minister Noel Dempsey came down to the new railway station in Midleton to announce the service’s timetable.
But he couldn’t provide people with the actual start-up date. The ministerial photo-session took place in a train at the station. But the train didn’t move, because it wasn’t certified to carry passengers.
On numerous occasions during the past few years both Mr Dempsey and his predecessor at the department, the late Seamus Brennan, have attended photoshoots along the track.
Iarnród Éireann prided itself in the connectivity of the service with the Dublin train. However, the ink wasn’t dry on the timetable when eagle-eyed TD David Stanton noticed a major mistake. The first train out of Midleton in the morning would arrive eight minutes after the Dublin-bound train had left Kent station. As Mr Stanton pointed out, that would be the train most people would have to get in order to be in the capital for an early business meeting. Red-faced Iarnród Éireann officials said they would try and address the situation.
Midleton Chamber of Commerce president Cillian O’Sullivan said his members had also been informed by Iarnród Éireann officials that the first commuter trains would start rolling during the week commencing July 27. "We met with people from Irish Rail last week and informed our members. We would like to see the railway line open as soon as possible," Mr O’Sullivan said.
Businesspeople in Midleton – which is regarded as one of the finest shopping towns in Munster – will be hoping to cash-in on the rail link by attracting customers from Cork city.
It will also make the town increasingly attractive for home buyers, as the train will also connect with Carrigtwohill, Glounthaune, and a large number of factories in Little Island.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Monday, 19 January 2009
Irish Rail expects delay in opening western line
A DELAY in the reopening of the €106 million Western Rail Corridor is being anticipated by Irish Rail in spite of a planning appeal being withdrawn against a new train station along the route.
Last year Coen Holdings Ltd lodged an appeal against the decision by Galway County Council to grant planning to Irish Rail to construct a new train station at Gort, with a decision not expected before January 24th.
The reopening of the rail line between Ennis, Co Clare, and Athenry, Co Galway, will allow for the restoration of intercity services between Galway and Limerick and Cork after a gap of 33 years, along with increased commuter services into Galway.
Originally due to be operational in 2008, and more recently to open in the spring, the spokesman said the retendering for the works due to the withdrawal of the planning objection was one of a number of factors leading to the delay in reopening the rail link.
“We are told that line is going to open in the summer, but at the moment we don’t know what part of summer that will be.”
The spokesman said Irish Rail would first see how the line performed before deciding on a proposal to construct a crossing point near the Co Clare village of Sixmilebridge, which would significantly increase capacity on the route.
Five stations, including Gort station, are to be upgraded.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Last year Coen Holdings Ltd lodged an appeal against the decision by Galway County Council to grant planning to Irish Rail to construct a new train station at Gort, with a decision not expected before January 24th.
The reopening of the rail line between Ennis, Co Clare, and Athenry, Co Galway, will allow for the restoration of intercity services between Galway and Limerick and Cork after a gap of 33 years, along with increased commuter services into Galway.
Originally due to be operational in 2008, and more recently to open in the spring, the spokesman said the retendering for the works due to the withdrawal of the planning objection was one of a number of factors leading to the delay in reopening the rail link.
“We are told that line is going to open in the summer, but at the moment we don’t know what part of summer that will be.”
The spokesman said Irish Rail would first see how the line performed before deciding on a proposal to construct a crossing point near the Co Clare village of Sixmilebridge, which would significantly increase capacity on the route.
Five stations, including Gort station, are to be upgraded.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Wednesday, 7 January 2009
Full steam ahead for Navan rail link despite downturn
IARNROD Eireann is to press ahead with plans for a €580m rail link from Navan to Dublin despite the economic downturn.
Yesterday it revealed the route of the 34km line which will link the capital with Navan by 2015, assuming the project goes ahead.
The track will run along the old alignment of Consilla to Navan line which closed in 1963 -- apart from two options to serve the town of Dunshauglin.
Iarnrod Eireann proposes either building a station on the old alignment, about 1.8km from the town, which would allow a park-and-ride site to be built, or, alternatively, a station 800 metres from the town.
The costs of building the station closer to the town centre would be higher because of land prices.
The first phase of the project involves reopening 7.5km of railway line running off the Maynooth line, at Clonsilla, to the M3 interchange at Pace, north of Dunboyne.
The project is expected to be completed next year.
The proposed scheme, or phase two, consists of extension of the Clonsilla to Pace project with the building of 34km of double track.
Four stations are proposed as part of the project at Dunshaughlin, Kilmessan, Navan Town Centre and a terminus station at the north edge of Navan.
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Yesterday it revealed the route of the 34km line which will link the capital with Navan by 2015, assuming the project goes ahead.
The track will run along the old alignment of Consilla to Navan line which closed in 1963 -- apart from two options to serve the town of Dunshauglin.
Iarnrod Eireann proposes either building a station on the old alignment, about 1.8km from the town, which would allow a park-and-ride site to be built, or, alternatively, a station 800 metres from the town.
The costs of building the station closer to the town centre would be higher because of land prices.
The first phase of the project involves reopening 7.5km of railway line running off the Maynooth line, at Clonsilla, to the M3 interchange at Pace, north of Dunboyne.
The project is expected to be completed next year.
The proposed scheme, or phase two, consists of extension of the Clonsilla to Pace project with the building of 34km of double track.
Four stations are proposed as part of the project at Dunshaughlin, Kilmessan, Navan Town Centre and a terminus station at the north edge of Navan.
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Sunday, 14 September 2008
Three city rail projects to start at same time
CONSTRUCTION work on three major rail projects in Dublin city will take place at the same time to avoid disruption to businesses, it emerged yesterday.
Work on the Metro North, the underground DART tunnel and the Luas line which will link the original Red and Green lines will take place over the same time period so residents and business will not have to suffer years of chaos in the city centre.
But there could still be years of traffic chaos when work on the Metro North gets under way.
The Rail Procurement Agency (RPA) said motorists and public transport users face significant delays in journey times during the five-year construction period of the light-rail system. The areas worst affected by the disruption will be large portions of the city centre along with Swords and Ballymun.
More than 150 bus routes will be changed due to the closure of Westmoreland Street during the construction phase, and a portion of St Stephen's Green will also be sealed off while the underground section is being built.
Yesterday Iarnrod Eireann said it expected to apply for a Railway Order allowing it to build the DART interconnector next year, and that it was in daily contact with the RPA -- which will build the Metro and the Luas -- in relation to the construction timetable.
Co-ordination
"There is major co-ordination between the two bodies, particularly in relation to St Stephen's Green which will be a shared station for the interconnector and Metro North," a spokesman said.
"We will be lodging our Railway Order application in the next 12 months, and are meeting with the RPA about construction. There's not going to be second bites of cherries."
Yesterday, the Dublin Chamber of Commerce said it wanted to see Metro delivered as soon as possible but warned that if Irish Rail did not accelerate their planning for the interconnector, which will link the Docklands to Heuston Station, businesses and jobs in the city will suffer.
"If Irish Rail and the RPA continue to progress these projects separately, the period of construction in the city would be eight years," chief executive Gina Quin said.
"This is wholly unacceptable, as commerce in the city would dry up over such a long period."
Paul Melia
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Work on the Metro North, the underground DART tunnel and the Luas line which will link the original Red and Green lines will take place over the same time period so residents and business will not have to suffer years of chaos in the city centre.
But there could still be years of traffic chaos when work on the Metro North gets under way.
The Rail Procurement Agency (RPA) said motorists and public transport users face significant delays in journey times during the five-year construction period of the light-rail system. The areas worst affected by the disruption will be large portions of the city centre along with Swords and Ballymun.
More than 150 bus routes will be changed due to the closure of Westmoreland Street during the construction phase, and a portion of St Stephen's Green will also be sealed off while the underground section is being built.
Yesterday Iarnrod Eireann said it expected to apply for a Railway Order allowing it to build the DART interconnector next year, and that it was in daily contact with the RPA -- which will build the Metro and the Luas -- in relation to the construction timetable.
Co-ordination
"There is major co-ordination between the two bodies, particularly in relation to St Stephen's Green which will be a shared station for the interconnector and Metro North," a spokesman said.
"We will be lodging our Railway Order application in the next 12 months, and are meeting with the RPA about construction. There's not going to be second bites of cherries."
Yesterday, the Dublin Chamber of Commerce said it wanted to see Metro delivered as soon as possible but warned that if Irish Rail did not accelerate their planning for the interconnector, which will link the Docklands to Heuston Station, businesses and jobs in the city will suffer.
"If Irish Rail and the RPA continue to progress these projects separately, the period of construction in the city would be eight years," chief executive Gina Quin said.
"This is wholly unacceptable, as commerce in the city would dry up over such a long period."
Paul Melia
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Wednesday, 13 August 2008
Dublin tunnel could take 20 electric trains per hour
TWENTY ELECTRIC trains per hour - one every three minutes - would run through the planned tunnel linking Heuston Station with Docklands, according to Iarnród Éireann.
But the tunnel is intended not only to provide the missing link between Dart and suburban commuter rail services in Dublin; it will also transform services on the existing Dart line.
Dart trains originating in Bray or Greystones would terminate at Maynooth, while those originating in Howth or Malahide would run through the tunnel to Hazelhatch and, ultimately, Kildare.
Anyone wishing to travel from, say, Dún Laoghaire to Howth (or vice versa) would have to change at Pearse Station, Westland Row; the continuous service around Dublin Bay would cease.
One major benefit, according to Iarnród Éireann, is that the current bottleneck at Connolly Station would be freed up, enabling the company to provide a wider range of rail services.
Another major benefit - indeed, the raison d'etre for this €2 billion project - would be to bring an end to the historic isolation of Heuston Station, knitting it into a new suburban rail network.
The journey time between Heuston and Docklands would be less than 10 minutes, with just three intermediate stops - Christ Church, St Stephen's Green and Pearse Station, all roughly 1km apart.
Along the way, the Dart underground - as the company has branded it - would link up with the Tallaght Luas line at Heuston and Docklands as well as the Sandyford Luas line at St Stephen's Green.
"Every rail line into Dublin will see a massive increase in capacity from this project," according to Iarnród Éireann spokesman Barry Kenny. "Without it, we would have guaranteed gridlock for evermore."
Resignalling at Connolly is intended to increase its throughput from 12 to 18 trains per hour in each direction, including the Maynooth line, but even this would be less than the interconnector's capacity.
The company forecasts that the number of peak-hour passengers using its commuter rail services in the Greater Dublin Area would increase almost threefold, from 22,000 now to 62,000 in 2020.
Mr Kenny said four-tracking the Kildare line as far as Hazelhatch - currently its biggest rail project, costing €350 million - would be "dwarfed" by the investment in the Heuston-Docklands tunnel.
Electrification of the Kildare line to Hazelhatch is provided for in the Government's Transport 21 programme. The Maynooth line would also have to be electrified in order to make Dart Underground work.
Diesel engines would only be used in the tunnel section after hours for maintenance; otherwise all trains would be electric. Anyone travelling to or from Kildare would have to change at Hazelhatch or Heuston. Asked why no station was being provided to serve the Digital Hub in Thomas Street, project manager Peter Muldoon said this area was within walking distance of Heuston or the proposed station at Christ Church.
It is also intended to retain the relatively new station above ground in Docklands, probably as a terminus for the proposed Navan commuter line. This would be 100 metres from the entrance to the underground.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
But the tunnel is intended not only to provide the missing link between Dart and suburban commuter rail services in Dublin; it will also transform services on the existing Dart line.
Dart trains originating in Bray or Greystones would terminate at Maynooth, while those originating in Howth or Malahide would run through the tunnel to Hazelhatch and, ultimately, Kildare.
Anyone wishing to travel from, say, Dún Laoghaire to Howth (or vice versa) would have to change at Pearse Station, Westland Row; the continuous service around Dublin Bay would cease.
One major benefit, according to Iarnród Éireann, is that the current bottleneck at Connolly Station would be freed up, enabling the company to provide a wider range of rail services.
Another major benefit - indeed, the raison d'etre for this €2 billion project - would be to bring an end to the historic isolation of Heuston Station, knitting it into a new suburban rail network.
The journey time between Heuston and Docklands would be less than 10 minutes, with just three intermediate stops - Christ Church, St Stephen's Green and Pearse Station, all roughly 1km apart.
Along the way, the Dart underground - as the company has branded it - would link up with the Tallaght Luas line at Heuston and Docklands as well as the Sandyford Luas line at St Stephen's Green.
"Every rail line into Dublin will see a massive increase in capacity from this project," according to Iarnród Éireann spokesman Barry Kenny. "Without it, we would have guaranteed gridlock for evermore."
Resignalling at Connolly is intended to increase its throughput from 12 to 18 trains per hour in each direction, including the Maynooth line, but even this would be less than the interconnector's capacity.
The company forecasts that the number of peak-hour passengers using its commuter rail services in the Greater Dublin Area would increase almost threefold, from 22,000 now to 62,000 in 2020.
Mr Kenny said four-tracking the Kildare line as far as Hazelhatch - currently its biggest rail project, costing €350 million - would be "dwarfed" by the investment in the Heuston-Docklands tunnel.
Electrification of the Kildare line to Hazelhatch is provided for in the Government's Transport 21 programme. The Maynooth line would also have to be electrified in order to make Dart Underground work.
Diesel engines would only be used in the tunnel section after hours for maintenance; otherwise all trains would be electric. Anyone travelling to or from Kildare would have to change at Hazelhatch or Heuston. Asked why no station was being provided to serve the Digital Hub in Thomas Street, project manager Peter Muldoon said this area was within walking distance of Heuston or the proposed station at Christ Church.
It is also intended to retain the relatively new station above ground in Docklands, probably as a terminus for the proposed Navan commuter line. This would be 100 metres from the entrance to the underground.
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
'Huge pressure' to fast track rail tunnel link
IARNRÓD ÉIREANN is under "huge pressure" from the Department of Transport and politicians to make rapid progress in delivering an underground rail link between Dublin's Heuston and Docklands stations.
Project manager Peter Muldoon also said there was "not a peep that the project is being targeted for cuts" by the Government to trim public expenditure - even though it carries an estimated price tag of €2 billion.
Omagh-born Mr Muldoon, who spent most of his working life in the private sector, told The Irish Times he had made a full presentation of the "Dart underground" project to Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey last month.
"The Minister has told us that this is Iarnród Éireann's number one priority, because he wants to get it done," said the company's spokesman, Barry Kenny. "Every aspect of it is being pushed as well as being scrutinised by the department."
The latest plan is now out for public consultation, with meetings taking place over the next week. Tenders are also being prepared with a view to engaging a multidisciplinary team of consultants to take it forward as a public-private partnership (PPP) project.
Consultants are expected to be appointed later this month to prepare an environmental impact statement on the 5.2km (three miles) route, including the excavation of underground stations at Heuston, Christ Church Cathedral, St Stephen's Green, Pearse Station and Docklands.
At Christ Church, the intention is to excavate the amphitheatre of the Civic Offices to install a station there and also a green area on Cook Street just north of St Audoen's Catholic Church, to provide a second means of access to and from the station.
Mr Muldoon said four tunnel boring machines would be used to dig twin tunnels through limestone bedrock, with two starting from Docklands in the direction of St Stephen's Green while the other two would work their way from Heuston towards the Green.
The average depth of the tunnels would be 25 to 30 metres, each with an internal diameter of six metres - sufficiently wide to accommodate an eight-carriage Dart-type commuter train and the overhead 1,500-volt electricity wires.
Some of the tunnelling work, particularly for stations, would involve substantial cut-and-cover excavations and/or "mining" from the surface to minimise the impact at ground level. But Mr Muldoon conceded that there was bound to be some disruption to traffic.
At Heuston Station, two options are being considered. One would involve excavating an underground station beneath the old station hall, necessitating the closure of four platforms, or alternatively excavating part of the vast Guinness transport yard nearby.
Diageo plc, which owns Guinness, has serious concerns about the impact on its freight movements if the latter option was to be chosen.
But given that the company is rationalising its brewery at St James's Gate, Iarnród Éireann expects a "positive outcome". Mr Muldoon said the Civic Offices amphitheatre had been chosen to excavate the Christ Church station because it had already been "archaeologically resolved"; alternative locations in High Street were ruled out because the "risks were too great". He said the excavation would stop short of the old Viking city wall on Wood Quay, just three metres to the south. "We'll be carrying out an archaeological excavation in these areas [on the Civic Offices site and Cook Street] to make sure there are no surprises".
The Dart station at St Stephen's Green would be slotted in beneath the station planned by the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) for Metro North, which would require the excavation of the north-western corner of the Green, including removal of the Fusiliers Arch.
After starting out separately, Iarnród Éireann and the RPA have been holding bi-weekly project meetings over the past year to co- ordinate planning of this multi-level station. It is also likely that tracks for a Luas city centre link will be laid within the enclosure.
Mr Muldoon conceded that Iarnród Éireann's works would have a negative impact on the north side of the Green, facing Dawson Street and Kildare Street, and also on the north of Merrion Square, where an entrance/exit is planned for the station serving Pearse.
He emphasised that the huge cut-and-cover excavation for the Docklands underground station would have no impact on traffic that will be using a new bridge linking Macken Street with Guild Street, as it would all be done on vacant land to the east.
The twin tunnels would be bored some five metres beneath the bed of the river Liffey to take the underground trains to and from Docklands station, where there would also be a direct connection with the Luas extension from Connolly to the Point on Mayor Street.
Mr Muldoon said electrification of the rail lines to Maynooth and Hazelhatch (on the Kildare line) was "fundamental" to the project, though it is not included in the cost estimate. However, he stressed that there was "no fat in this programme whatsoever".
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Project manager Peter Muldoon also said there was "not a peep that the project is being targeted for cuts" by the Government to trim public expenditure - even though it carries an estimated price tag of €2 billion.
Omagh-born Mr Muldoon, who spent most of his working life in the private sector, told The Irish Times he had made a full presentation of the "Dart underground" project to Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey last month.
"The Minister has told us that this is Iarnród Éireann's number one priority, because he wants to get it done," said the company's spokesman, Barry Kenny. "Every aspect of it is being pushed as well as being scrutinised by the department."
The latest plan is now out for public consultation, with meetings taking place over the next week. Tenders are also being prepared with a view to engaging a multidisciplinary team of consultants to take it forward as a public-private partnership (PPP) project.
Consultants are expected to be appointed later this month to prepare an environmental impact statement on the 5.2km (three miles) route, including the excavation of underground stations at Heuston, Christ Church Cathedral, St Stephen's Green, Pearse Station and Docklands.
At Christ Church, the intention is to excavate the amphitheatre of the Civic Offices to install a station there and also a green area on Cook Street just north of St Audoen's Catholic Church, to provide a second means of access to and from the station.
Mr Muldoon said four tunnel boring machines would be used to dig twin tunnels through limestone bedrock, with two starting from Docklands in the direction of St Stephen's Green while the other two would work their way from Heuston towards the Green.
The average depth of the tunnels would be 25 to 30 metres, each with an internal diameter of six metres - sufficiently wide to accommodate an eight-carriage Dart-type commuter train and the overhead 1,500-volt electricity wires.
Some of the tunnelling work, particularly for stations, would involve substantial cut-and-cover excavations and/or "mining" from the surface to minimise the impact at ground level. But Mr Muldoon conceded that there was bound to be some disruption to traffic.
At Heuston Station, two options are being considered. One would involve excavating an underground station beneath the old station hall, necessitating the closure of four platforms, or alternatively excavating part of the vast Guinness transport yard nearby.
Diageo plc, which owns Guinness, has serious concerns about the impact on its freight movements if the latter option was to be chosen.
But given that the company is rationalising its brewery at St James's Gate, Iarnród Éireann expects a "positive outcome". Mr Muldoon said the Civic Offices amphitheatre had been chosen to excavate the Christ Church station because it had already been "archaeologically resolved"; alternative locations in High Street were ruled out because the "risks were too great". He said the excavation would stop short of the old Viking city wall on Wood Quay, just three metres to the south. "We'll be carrying out an archaeological excavation in these areas [on the Civic Offices site and Cook Street] to make sure there are no surprises".
The Dart station at St Stephen's Green would be slotted in beneath the station planned by the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) for Metro North, which would require the excavation of the north-western corner of the Green, including removal of the Fusiliers Arch.
After starting out separately, Iarnród Éireann and the RPA have been holding bi-weekly project meetings over the past year to co- ordinate planning of this multi-level station. It is also likely that tracks for a Luas city centre link will be laid within the enclosure.
Mr Muldoon conceded that Iarnród Éireann's works would have a negative impact on the north side of the Green, facing Dawson Street and Kildare Street, and also on the north of Merrion Square, where an entrance/exit is planned for the station serving Pearse.
He emphasised that the huge cut-and-cover excavation for the Docklands underground station would have no impact on traffic that will be using a new bridge linking Macken Street with Guild Street, as it would all be done on vacant land to the east.
The twin tunnels would be bored some five metres beneath the bed of the river Liffey to take the underground trains to and from Docklands station, where there would also be a direct connection with the Luas extension from Connolly to the Point on Mayor Street.
Mr Muldoon said electrification of the rail lines to Maynooth and Hazelhatch (on the Kildare line) was "fundamental" to the project, though it is not included in the cost estimate. However, he stressed that there was "no fat in this programme whatsoever".
The Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Sunday, 10 August 2008
Railway station planned for Croker
A new railway station is being planned for Croke Park in Dublin. Iarnród Eireann is expected to have high-level discussions with the GAA to open the new railway station at the GAA headquarters.
It is anticipated that the GAA would make a significant contribution towards its development costs, given that the new station has the potential to deliver a large amount of fans to the stadium on match days.
Croke Park is situated adjacent to the Sligo railway line, which serves stations in Boyle, Carrick-on-Shannon, Mullingar, Enfield, Kilcock, Maynooth and Leixlip. A spur on the line serving Dunboyne and Navan is planned for completion in 2015. The line terminates in Connolly station in Dublin, which is in turn connected with the Wexford and Belfast lines.
However, the real benefit of the station will come with the construction of the planned rail interconnector between Heuston station and Pearse station in the city centre. This has the potential to allow Iarnród Eireann to deliver trains directly to Croke Park from locations such as Cork, Limerick, and Galway. The interconnector is scheduled for completion in 2015.
The main problem facing any plan for the new station is the logistical challenge of moving large numbers of fans on and off trains on match days. Croke Park has a maximum capacity of 82,500 people, and were a new station to prove viable it would have to be able to accommodate large numbers of matchgoers.
Sunday Business Post
www.buckplanning.ie
It is anticipated that the GAA would make a significant contribution towards its development costs, given that the new station has the potential to deliver a large amount of fans to the stadium on match days.
Croke Park is situated adjacent to the Sligo railway line, which serves stations in Boyle, Carrick-on-Shannon, Mullingar, Enfield, Kilcock, Maynooth and Leixlip. A spur on the line serving Dunboyne and Navan is planned for completion in 2015. The line terminates in Connolly station in Dublin, which is in turn connected with the Wexford and Belfast lines.
However, the real benefit of the station will come with the construction of the planned rail interconnector between Heuston station and Pearse station in the city centre. This has the potential to allow Iarnród Eireann to deliver trains directly to Croke Park from locations such as Cork, Limerick, and Galway. The interconnector is scheduled for completion in 2015.
The main problem facing any plan for the new station is the logistical challenge of moving large numbers of fans on and off trains on match days. Croke Park has a maximum capacity of 82,500 people, and were a new station to prove viable it would have to be able to accommodate large numbers of matchgoers.
Sunday Business Post
www.buckplanning.ie
Wednesday, 23 January 2008
Full steam ahead as Phoenix Park rail station opens at former racecourse
A NEW rail station opened yesterday in Dublin's Phoenix Park to cater for more than 2,300 houses expected to be built on the former racecourse there.
The €7m station was fully paid for by developers Flynn and O'Flaherty who are building the homes.
Rail services will link commuters to Connolly, Tara Street and Pearse stations, as well as to the new Docklands station.
In addition, workers and students using the station will be directly linked to NUI Maynooth, Intel Leixlip and Drumcondra.
Transport Minister Noel Dempsey, who opened the station, said it was the latest example of the provision of quality public transport links for new communities.
The Maynooth commuter line is the fastest-growing commuter corridor in the greater Dublin area, and new services have been added to the timetable in tandem with the Phoenix Park Station opening.
The line is expected to be upgraded to Dart status and eventually become the Maynooth to Bray Dart line.
The Phoenix Park station's design provides an elevated passenger concourse area over the rail line.
A public transport interchange is provided with bus services on the Navan Road, and there is also a 100-space car park.
The station is a key part of the infrastructure and facilities for the e1.5bn Phoenix Park Racecourse development.
Treacy Hogan Environment Correspondent
www.buckplanning.ie
The €7m station was fully paid for by developers Flynn and O'Flaherty who are building the homes.
Rail services will link commuters to Connolly, Tara Street and Pearse stations, as well as to the new Docklands station.
In addition, workers and students using the station will be directly linked to NUI Maynooth, Intel Leixlip and Drumcondra.
Transport Minister Noel Dempsey, who opened the station, said it was the latest example of the provision of quality public transport links for new communities.
The Maynooth commuter line is the fastest-growing commuter corridor in the greater Dublin area, and new services have been added to the timetable in tandem with the Phoenix Park Station opening.
The line is expected to be upgraded to Dart status and eventually become the Maynooth to Bray Dart line.
The Phoenix Park station's design provides an elevated passenger concourse area over the rail line.
A public transport interchange is provided with bus services on the Navan Road, and there is also a 100-space car park.
The station is a key part of the infrastructure and facilities for the e1.5bn Phoenix Park Racecourse development.
Treacy Hogan Environment Correspondent
www.buckplanning.ie
Friday, 29 June 2007
Tracking latest rail expansions
* NUMBER of Dart carriages has increased from 80 to 154 in past seven years.
* Dart trains are now eight carriages instead of six at peak times.
* Commuter rail carriages increased from 44 to 180.
* New Docklands station opened in March ahead of schedule, clearing the way for expansion of west Dublin commuter services.
* Work is under way on doubling the tracks on the Kildare line, opening up new high-frequency commuter services.
* New rail station opened at Adamstown in April to cater for thousands of new homeowners.
* New rail station at Phoenix Park almost completed. Due to open in September.
* Rail services between Dublin and Cork now run every hour, instead of less than every two hours.
* Some 183 high-speed rail carriages are being rolled out on the Dublin-Sligo route in August and shortly afterwards to all inter-urban destinations.
Irish Independent
* Dart trains are now eight carriages instead of six at peak times.
* Commuter rail carriages increased from 44 to 180.
* New Docklands station opened in March ahead of schedule, clearing the way for expansion of west Dublin commuter services.
* Work is under way on doubling the tracks on the Kildare line, opening up new high-frequency commuter services.
* New rail station opened at Adamstown in April to cater for thousands of new homeowners.
* New rail station at Phoenix Park almost completed. Due to open in September.
* Rail services between Dublin and Cork now run every hour, instead of less than every two hours.
* Some 183 high-speed rail carriages are being rolled out on the Dublin-Sligo route in August and shortly afterwards to all inter-urban destinations.
Irish Independent
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