Dublin plans for LRT expansion: Dublin looks to capitalise on the success of its first two LRT lines with ambitious plans to extend the network

International Railway Journal, Nov, 2006 by Keith Barrow

Light rail has been quick to capture the publics imagination in

Dublin. Less than two years after it opened, the two-line network is carrying an average of more than 70,000 people a day, and passenger numbers for May 2006 were up 30% over the previous year.

To help accommodate this growth, LRVs on the Red Line will be extended from 30m to 40m in 2007, increasing capacity on this line by 40%. Peak frequencies will be increased to every 4 minutes on the Green Line.

Given the escalating levels of patronage, it's perhaps unsurprising that Luas (an Irish word meaning Speed) features prominently in Transport 21, the Irish government's transport plan for the next decade.

This lists no fewer than seven projects that will connect the two existing lines and extend them to create an integrated network at an estimated cost of 1.1 billion [euro].

Currently, the most advanced of these projects is the 7.5km southern extension of the Green Line from its existing terminus at Sandyford to Cherrywood. This line passes through an area earmarked for high-density residential and commercial development, and more than 50% of the total cost will be raised through levies on development in areas close to the projected route. Line B1, as the extension is known, is expected to significantly increase the scope of the Green Line by attracting an additional 8 million passenger journeys per year to the network, an increase of 35% over current passenger levels. Journey time from Stephen's Green to Cherrywood will be 40 minutes and there will be an additional 11 stops on the route.

As with the existing section of the Green Line, Line B1 is being built to allow for future upgrading to metro standards. The planned route has been criticised in some quarters for failing to choose an alignment that facilitates easy conversion to metro standards, a claim rebuffed by the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA), the agency responsible for implementing metro and light rail lines in Dublin. "We still envisage conversion of almost all Luas lines to light metro standard in the long-term," said Mr Tom Manning of the RPA. "We won't do anything on Line B1 or any other line that will make it difficult to upgrade the system to metro, and we are working to ensure there are no impediments to future-proofing these lines."

The design of Line B1 has now been completed and a Railway Order approving the plan was signed by the Transport Minister in August. The line is due for completion in 2010.

South of Cherrywood, another 6.75km extension of the Green Line is proposed to serve further residential developments west of Bray. Three route options have been put forward. The first of these dissects Shankill before running parallel to the Irish Rail Dublin-Rosslare line as far as Wilford. This would enable Luas to serve an interchange station at Woodbrook, where it would connect with Dublin Area Rapid Transit (Dart) commuter rail services, before running to Old Connaught and Fassaroe. The other two options run roughly parallel, albeit on opposite sides of the M11 motorway, and both include a branch option to Woodbrook. Public consultation has begun on this project, and the line is scheduled for completion in 2015.

City Centre Link

At the northern end of the Green Line, an extension is planned that will finally provide a link with the other line already in operation, the Red Line. The original plans for an LRT network in Dublin envisaged the construction of a three-line network, but a political squabble meant this was scaled back to two, with the loss of the proposed city centre connection. Line BX/Line D will link St Stephen's and Grangegorman with Liffey Junction, where it will connect with Dart services on the Maynooth line. Phase 1 of the project will join the Red and Green lines, which the RPA believes will increase Luas passenger numbers significantly. This section is currently at the public consultation phase, while initial planning is underway for stage 2. The line is due to open in 2012.

The population of Dublin's docklands is projected to increase nearly 50% by 2016 and a key objective of Transport 21's plans for the Dublin area is to improve the transport links between this area and the city centre. A 1.5km extension of the Red Line from Connolly station via the planned Interconnector station at Spencer Dock to The Point will include four stations. Construction will take 20 months and the line is due to open in 2009.

As part of its expansion plans, the RPA has stipulated the purchase of a 'significant number' of new LRVs, although the exact number of vehicles required is not yet clear.

Metro North

A highlight of Transport 21 is the plan to build a light metro line from the city centre to the airport and Lissenhall which will link all of the heavy rail and LRT corridors in central Dublin by 2012.

In October, the RPA announced its preferred route for Metro North. This will run underground from Stephen's Green, where there will be connections with Luas and Dart commuter services, to O'Connell Street, Mater Hospital, and an interchange with Irish Rail (IE) Maynooth line services at Drumcondra. North of Dublin City University the line will emerge onto a ground level or elevated section through the suburb of Ballymun before entering another tunnel south of the airport. The line will emerge once more near Airside station before continuing to Swords and Lissenhall. Journey time from Stephen's Green to Lissenhall is expected to be around 25 minutes and the line will carry around 30 million passengers per year.