Finally, there’s a joined-up plan for transport – with the money to back it

IT’S a horrible cliché, but you can’t make an omelette without breaking some eggs.

There’s no doubt that homeowners in Glasnevin, Tara Street and Ranelagh – not to mention the members of Na Fianna and Home Farm sports clubs – are feeling anxious about MetroLink, but in the context of building a mass-transit rail system there will always be victims and those unfairly affected.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland, which is building the line, and the National Transport Authority (NTA), which is funding it on behalf of the State, both say they are open to alternatives if communities feel that losing their homes or gardens is too high a price to be paid. At this stage, we should take themattheirword.

But we must be realistic, too. Dublin’s congestion problem is awful, and our climate change issue is not being addressed. We can’t keep using the private car to get around, and Metro will benefit the populace of Glasnevin, Ranelagh and the city centre when it’s up and running. The Luas Green line and Dart serve parts of the capital with among the highest house prices, and they’re roundly seen as a success. Asset-rich people use them, but that’s not to say that some won’t fight any suggestion they give up some of their garden, or indeed their home, for a supposed greater good.

Sources suggest that there are around 25,000 homes within 500 metres of the proposed line, so the benefits to the wider city area are huge. In particular, MetroLink could be a game-changer for Ballymun, which would benefit hugely from a high-speed link to the city, and help complete its regeneration.

It will also provide a link to Dublin Airport, which can be accessed from the Irish Rail network through interchanges at Tara Street and Glasnevin.

Some will suggest that this is just another example of the capital getting all the money while the rest of the country suffers. To an extent, that’s correct. But unless we get the capital’s public transport problem solved, we risk strangling the main driver of economic growth, which serves no-one well.

NTA CEO Anne Graham makes the point there are a number of public transport schemes now in planning which will transform Dublin, including the €2bn Bus Connects project, a review of the Dublin Bus network, the expansion of Dart to Hazelhatch, Maynooth and Drogheda, along with proposed cycling and walking measures to provide a viable alternative to the car.

The systems link. You’ll be able to get a Dart in Kildare and connect with MetroLink at Tara Street, before continuing to Ranelagh. You can catch a train in Sligo, get off at Glasnevin, and get to the airport. There will be unhappy people at the end of this process, but you can’t plan a city based on the needs of the few. Finally, there’s a plan, and money to back it.