Light Rail Transit Association   URBAN TRANSIT NEWS 2005

Irish transport announcement: Titled 'Transport 21' the Irish government has produced an ambitious national transport program costing some EUR34.4billion of which about EUR16 billion will be for public transport. In the Dublin Area this will include improvements and extensions to the DART rail system including a rail tunnel to connect DART to Heuston Station. Two Metro lines are planned, METRO North to link St. Stephen’s Green to Swords which will serve Dublin Airport and METRO West, linking the Tallaght LUAS line and METRO North and serving, among others, places like Clondalkin, Liffey Valley and Blanchardstown. This will be built on a phased basis starting from the Tallaght end.

There will be 7 new Luas projects: The Tallaght LUAS line will be extended to the Docklands. A spur will be provided off the Tallaght line to serve Citywest. The Sandyford LUAS line will be extended, initially to Cherrywood and subsequently to Bray, allowing passengers interchange onto the DART and suburban rail services. The two LUAS lines will be joined. This new cross-city link will subsequently be extended northwards to serve Broadstone and the new Dublin Institute of Technology campus at Grangegorman. It will also connect with the Maynooth suburban rail line around Liffey Junction. A new LUAS line from Lucan to the City will also be provided.

2 November 2005