Big trouble if subway plan goes under..
Economy facing a €2bn hit if Metrolink project fails
CONGESTION in Dublin could soon hit critical mass and cost the economy €2billion if a new underground rail line does not go ahead, it is claimed.
A hearing about the project got underway at the Gresham Hotel in Dublin city centre and was told that Ireland is outgrowing its transport infrastructure.
A Metrolink rail line is proposed to connect Dublin City Centre with Swords, which is 20kms north of the capital.
The €9.5bn subway works – which was proposed 22 years ago as Metro North to link Dublin city to its airport – could start next year for a decade and then transport 53 million passenger journeys a year by 2035.
But concerns have been expressed because of the duration of construction and the feared disruption to peoples’ lives amid the works.
However, Transport Infrastructure Ireland estimated at the An Board Pleanala hearing yesterday that congestion could cost the economy €2billion annually if the rail link is not approved.
Metrolink project director Aidan Foley said Dublin was the 35th most congested city in the world in 2021 and commuters are stuck in traffic for 213 hours a year on average in travel between Swords.
He explained: “Economists estimate that, without intervention, congestion and lost time will cost the Irish economy over €2billion annually in 2033.
“This problem is forecast to worsen as Ireland’s population continues to grow.”
He added: “Congestion is reaching critical levels along the Swords, Dublin Airport, Dublin city centre corridor; a major artery for our economy.”
He also said 8,000 workers commute to Dublin, but only 960 of them (12 per cent) use public transport.
PEAK
The hearing was told that a 20km journey can take 25 minutes at off-peak times, but stretches to 55 minutes at peak.
Metrolink’s Foley issued assurances to residents that construction, which would include a tunnel, would be carried out at an appropriate depth and buildings at ground level would not suffer “significant adverse effects”.
He also vowed that there would be measures to limit noise and vibrations and that a scheme would be in place for property owners to claim compensation of up to €45,000 for possible damage.
A communications service would also be created to provide information to the public, including monthly meetings.
The mostly underground line would run for 18.8kms, stopping at 16 stations from
Swords, including Dublin Airport, then Ballymun, Glasnevin, O’connell Street, and St Stephen’s Green before terminating at Charlemont Street.
Since the first planning draft was filed in September 2022, there have been 318 submissions.
Concerns about the project have been expressed by homeowners, politicians, Trinity College Dublin, and the Office of Public Works.
More details of the proposed rail link between Swords and Dublin city centre are to be outlined during the remaining five weeks of the hearing.
An Bord Pleanala is expected to consider the case over several months before delivering a decision later this year or early 2025.
If it is greenlit, TII will seek tenders for the construction, and then present a business case to the Government for approval, meaning the first trains will not run until in the mid-2030s.