Dublin to get new DART service

[constellation]

IE getting a little ambitious, no?

From http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0628/rail.html

Plans to develop a second high-capacity DART Interconnector service in Dublin are due to be announced today by Iarnród Éireann.

The €1.3bn proposal includes the building of a tunnel under the River Liffey between Heuston Station and the Docklands.

There are also plans to extended the DART to Maynooth in Co Kildare and Dunboyne in Co Meath.

Work on the project is due to begin in 2010, subject to planning approval from An Bord Pleanála.

Speaking on RTÉ'S Morning Ireland, Iarnród Éireann spokesman, Barry Kenny, said the proposals were part of the Government's Transport 21 programme.

The proposals are being published today on the Iarnrod Eireann website www.irishrail.ie and will be the subject of a public consultation process next Tuesday and Wednesday.

[Mark Gleeson]

Of course the offical unveiling took place way back in 2005 in the National Concert Hall, in fact we know nothing more today that we did then

We're going underground
Let the brass bands play as tunnel vision is no pipedream

By Treacy Hogan
Thursday June 28 2007


A NEW €1.3bn tunnel vision for Dublin being unveiled today might raise more than a few sceptical eyebrows and even hearty laughs from stressed-out commuters.

It involves an underground DART running 5.3km in a giant tunnel under the River Liffey between Heuston Station and the Docklands, with stops along the way.

Commuters would be able to take the DART underground through the heart of Dublin city to Christchurch Cathedral.

Throw in DART extensions to Maynooth and Dunboyne and, hey presto, 100 million commuter journeys will have been made by trains instead of cars.

But will it be that simple?

The track record for major infrastructure projects here has not been good. We have two Luas lines that don't meet and massive cost over-runs and delays that clobbered the Luas and Port Tunnel projects, while chronic overcrowding on trains drives commuters round the twist at peak times.

An official project being unveiled today by Iarnrod Eireann and due to go before Bord Pleanala for approval may appear to many to be yet another pipedream.

Like the buses and trains, we wait ages for one, and then along come two or three. We have a raft of plans for Metros and new Luas lines - and now an underground DART through the heart of the city centre under the River Liffey.

Commuters will be waiting anxiously to see if there is light at the end of the tunnel vision for 2015.

However, rail bosses are adamant that the biggest infrastructural project since the Port Tunnel will actually happen, possibly even sooner than the target completion date of 2015.

And the track record of Iarnrod Eireann in delivering new infrastructure and expanding rail services has been very good of late.

The money is there and the underground DART tunnel under the Liffey between Heuston and the Docklands goes out to public consultation today.

Iarnrod Eireann will lodge a formal planning application with Bord Pleanala and start building it in 2010 after the usual Irish-style planning wrangles and compensation claims are sorted.

Linking

The underground DART will run from Heuston Station to Christchurch, on to St Stephen's Green, through Pearse Station, under the Liffey before linking up with the new Docklands station beside Connolly.

The line involves:

* Northern line DART services from Balbriggan and Howth, which will branch off the existing line after Clontarf Road.

* It goes underground at Docklands Station where it connects with the Luas line from Tallaght.

* It continues to Pearse, connecting with what will be the Maynooth to Bray DART line.

* It moves on to St Stephen's Green where it connects with the Luas line from Sandyford and the Metro to the airport.

* The line continues underground to Christchurch and Heuston, linking again with the Tallaght Luas, and intercity and commuter rail services before moving above ground to Hazelhatch in Kildare.

The line will quadruple city rail capacity from the present 25 million passenger journeys annually to over 100 million.

Funding for the ambitious project has been committed by the Government in the Transport 21 programme.

The new line will dramatically increase frequency and capacity for commuters on DART Northern, Maynooth and Kildare lines.

The plan includes the extension of the DART to Maynooth, Hazelhatch and Dunboyne.

Rail chiefs are gambling that it will be the single most important piece of infrastructure to convince people to move from their cars to public transport.

Crucially, the new city centre DART underground will link DART, commuter rail, Intercity, Luas and Metro to form an integrated network.

Iarnrod Eireann have yet to decide whether to locate the station directly beneath the River Liffey at the Docklands, with station entrances from both the north and south quays.

Plans for the DART Underground - to be called Dublin's Interconnector - are going on display to allow the public to view station options and routes.

Open days are being held at Dublin City Council's civic offices at Wood Quay on July 3 and 4.

Barry Kenny, Iarnrod Eireann spokesman, said yesterday that the tunnel from Docklands to Heuston Station would complete the transformation of the Greater Dublin area's rail-service capacity.

The Dart station for Christchurch will be located on the High Street area, with three alternative sites on view for the public.

- Treacy Hogan

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...nd-858561.html

[Peter FitzPatrick]

Any of the station alignment stuff new to you lads ?

http://www.irishrail.ie/projects/dart_underground.asp

http://www.irishrail.ie/projects/pdf...nnector_A2.pdf

[Mark Gleeson]

We have seen all of it before, the alignment hasn't changed in 3 years

Only change in recent times is really the confirmation of the Heuston station location, that was made public several months ago

Of course the whole thing goes back to 1975

[Mark]

Station name changes: Spencer Dock to Docklands and High Street to Christchurch. Simple stuff really.

We know all the depths of the stations.

Pearse station box having an entrance onto Merrion Square is a nice addition. We knew about the entrance to Pearse Street.

Open days were only to be expected. Nice to see it back in the news tho, some pessimists were having their doubts about it..

[Peter FitzPatrick]

I notice the project is now entitled the 'Dart Underground'.

[eoin]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

Of course the offical unveiling took place way back in 2005 in the National Concert Hall, in fact we know nothing more today that we did then

While people who take an interest in rail transport have known about this for a very long time, the public at large has not. I had to rely on Platform 11 and Wikipedia to educate myself on what the Interconnector is. Iarnród Éireann have never bigged it up before now, and maybe if they had it would have been an election issue (even if only a minor one). Even when Transport 21 was announced, all of the media focus was on Metros and Western road and rail. There was a sense that the interconnector was secondary.

The name "interconnector" means nothing to the average member of the public. IÉ have been very clever today in renaming it DART Underground for PR purposes, and by spelling out exactly what it will mean. Hopefully now the public will get behind it.

[Brian Condron]

Is there any engineering or operational reason why the two new DART lines are going to be Maynooth - Greystones and Hazelhatch - Malahide? Could they not have kept status quo, and added a Maynooth to Hazelhatch service?

[Mark]

Originally Posted by Brian Condron

Is there any engineering or operational reason why the two new DART lines are going to be Maynooth - Greystones and Hazelhatch - Malahide? Could they not have kept status quo, and added a Maynooth to Hazelhatch service?

Among the other reasons mentioned the existing line wouldnt have directly connected with the metro north then.

[ThomasJ]

Originally Posted by Brian Condron

Is there any engineering or operational reason why the two new DART lines are going to be Maynooth - Greystones and Hazelhatch - Malahide? Could they not have kept status quo, and added a Maynooth to Hazelhatch service?

If anything its pointless Maynooth-hazlehatch takes 15-20 minutes by taxi/bus who in their right mind (other than entusiasts) would be in favour of a train trk longer than 1 hour in favour of a 20 minute bus ride?? its the same with lucan/adamstown-leixlip etc. its pointless.

[Brian Condron]

Well obviously there wont be much of a demand for Maynooth to Hazelhatch via Dockalnds, however it is only for operational reasons then that the two DART lines will be as proposed. Are there any engineering reasons why the Maynooth line can't be connected to the interconnector (or maybe it will be to keep the option of the circle line open for the future, I don't know).

All in all, should be good craic. Now who do I get a job with so I can work on this project?

[Mark Gleeson]

Ok I know the person who dreamt up the Kildare - Drogheda / Maynooth Bray thing

It makes a lot of sense for a heap of reasons

1. The connections don't work with Metro North otherwise
2. It promotes through journeys which people will make
3. It doesn't double back on itself
4. The speed profile of the Maynooth line matches the Pearse Bray section 60mph ish
5. The original Kildare Drogheda route would have required 100mph capable DART's, later expansion likely
6. Northsiders wouldn't connect with the Green line Luas otherwise

[clonsilladart]

Originally Posted by Brian Condron

Is there any engineering or operational reason why the two new DART lines are going to be Maynooth - Greystones and Hazelhatch - Malahide? Could they not have kept status quo, and added a Maynooth to Hazelhatch service?

I personally would love it that way..... Direct service from Clonsilla to St Stephens Green would rock my Saturday night, but as Spock said "the good of the many outweighs the good of the one" (.....or something like that).

For all the reasons outlined by Mark, this is the best solution!!!

(I think another reason against a Maynooth to Hazelhatch "C" line is:
easiest Engineering way would be to use the Midland line and thus eliminate Drumcondra station and the connection with Metro North)

[Mark Gleeson]

Originally Posted by eoin

While people who take an interest in rail transport have known about this for a very long time, the public at large has not. I had to rely on Platform 11 and Wikipedia to educate myself on what the Interconnector is. Iarnród Éireann have never bigged it up before now, and maybe if they had it would have been an election issue (even if only a minor one). Even when Transport 21 was announced, all of the media focus was on Metros and Western road and rail. There was a sense that the interconnector was secondary.

The name "interconnector" means nothing to the average member of the public. IÉ have been very clever today in renaming it DART Underground for PR purposes, and by spelling out exactly what it will mean. Hopefully now the public will get behind it.

It was on the 9pm RTE news that night in 2004, remember it well. It cropped up last year this time it made the 6pm and 9pm RTE news

If anything the interconnector has had more media coverage that metro in recent years

[Mark Hennessy]

Look at all the cynics out there

I voted the last option myself.

A Poll on rte.ie

It will be a great improvement to my commute 19% (238 votes)

It won't affect my life 29% (351 votes)

It will be a nice way to get in and out of Dublin on the weekends 12% (150 votes)

I will still prefer my car 4% (54 votes)

I doubt it will ever get built 35% (436 votes)

[constellation]

Plans to develop a second high-capacity DART Interconnector service in Dublin are due to be announced today by Iarnród Éireann.

As Jon Stewart would say, "I'm not afraid to spell out the joke here". The "second high-capacity DART Interconnector" anyone? What about the first one...?

Moving swiftly on...