Failing to build tunnel could prove costly in the long run

ANY investment in public transport is a good thing, but is this revised Dart plan a case of being penny-wise but pound foolish?

The biggest impediment to growing rail services across Dublin is the lack of access, with just two tracks through the city centre across the Loopline Bridge. These two lines carry all trains crossing the city, whether from the south east, the north, from Kildare through the Phoenix Park tunnel or Sligo/Maynooth.

Adding more frequent Dart services would provide an option for commuters over the private car, but if you don’t increase the number of lines going through the city centre, capacity could end up being a problem.

The whole point of Dart Underground is to increase that capacity. The proposal was to run a twin-track tunnel from Heuston Station serving High Street, St Stephen’s Green (to link with Metro/Luas), Pearse Street (which would become an interchange) and the Docklands, with trains then continuing along the northern line to Howth, Malahide and beyond.

What’s the effect? Instead of two, there would four city centre lines and fewer bottlenecks in the system, allowing more rail services to be delivered.

Transport planners say the tunnel would provide capacity to take almost 27,000 cars off the road – well over half the number that currently cross the canals every day.

So what’s stopping the tunnel from being built? Money. The cost of the tunnel and expansion of services to Hazelhatch, Maynooth, Greystones and Drogheda is €4bn. Removing the tunnel shaves €2bn from the bill.

But in the context of delivering a transport system to serve the city for decades, helping to reduce emissions, improve air quality and tackle congestion, is it a saving too far?