Construction of the Metrolink rail line is essential to fix Dublin’s “inefficient transport systems”, deliver a sustainable and accessible city and meet Ireland’s climate obligations, the Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) chief executive said.
Peter Walsh was speaking on the final day of An Bord Pleanála’s hearing on the 18.8km rail line that would run from Swords to Dublin Airport, then on to Ballymun, Glasnevin, O’Connell Street and St Stephen’s Green before terminating at Charlemont, with a total of 16 stops.
Over the six-week hearing TII had outlined how “MetroLink will serve as transformative solution for Dublin’s mobility challenges,” Mr Walsh said.
“TII has demonstrated how MetroLink’s integration into existing transport networks, coupled with its focus on sustainability and accessibility, positions it as a pivotal element in Dublin’s public transport evolution toward becoming a modern, liveable European capital city.”
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With trains running every three minutes during peak periods and the capacity to carry up to 20,000 passengers per hour in each direction, Metrolink will “provide the spine of the public transport network in Dublin” and “transform public transportation in Ireland”, he said.
“With Dublin ranked as one of the most congested cities globally, the economic and societal costs of traffic delays are enormous,” he said.
“MetroLink represents more than just a transportation project – it embodies Ireland’s vision for a sustainable, accessible and thriving capital city,” he said
“It is also a project that is essential in terms of meeting Ireland’s obligations in terms of climate action and delivering a decarbonised future.”
Mr Walsh said he would like to “acknowledge and salute the commitment of each homeowner, business owner or interested party” who had made a submission on the project.
More than 120 parties addressed the hearing since February 19th, with the majority being homeowners concerned about the effect of the line and its construction or operation on their lives. These included some of the residents of the 70 apartments in the College Gate complex and eight Dublin City Council houses on Townsend Street, all of which are due for demolition for the proposed Tara station.
While these are the only homes due to be levelled for the line, many others will be affected, particularly by construction of stations close to their homes. Some homeowners became emotional and had to leave the hearing in the ballroom in the Gresham Hotel when they spoke of their fears of living next to construction sites that would be metres from their homes for several years.
The owner of the Brian Boru pub in Glasnevin also spoke affectingly about the demolition of the 200-year-old pub to accommodate a station at Cross Guns Bridge at the Royal Canal.
Several parties also put forward the view the metro should not run all the way to Charelmont north of Ranelagh and should terminate at an earlier point. A number of parties felt that point should be St Stephen’s Green, to give a greater range of options for a future southern extension of the line, with others calling for last stop to be in O’Connell Street or Tara Street to avoid disruption to St Stephen’s Green.
The Office of Public Works (OPW) and the Heritage Council both raised concerns about the construction of the St Stephen’s Green station, The OPW said the station could not be “at the expense of Ireland’s national heritage”, while the Heritage Council said the station had the potential “to compromise one of the city’s most noted cultural heritage anchors”.
A small number of residents made concluding remarks on Thursday. Declan Campbell who represented the Hampstead residents living south of the Collins Avenue Station, said their experience with TII was marked by a “shocking” lack of “genuine consultation” and “poor engagement”.
Anne Meehan, who lives in a conservation area near the Glasnevin Station, said she believed Metrolink would be granted permission “for the common good”, but she said: “I ask that you please not forget those who have been sacrificed or shafted for other’s benefit.”
Two public representatives made final submissions. Fianna Fáil TD Jim O’Callaghan said it remained his position the line should terminate in the city centre and not continue to Charlemont to afford more options for a future southern extension.
Labour Senator Marie Sherlock said in the interests of people who had been living with the “misery of uncertainly over the last number of years over what could happen to their homes, their roads, their communities” she asked “a decision be made as soon as possible”.
Mr Walsh said it was evident from the submissions made at the hearing “there is overwhelming support for the construction of a metro” and it was notable many who made submissions which criticised specific aspects of the project “prefaced their contribution by saying that they supported the Metro”.
An Bord Pleanála inspector Niall Haverty noted TII would be advertising additional documents that had been submitted during the hearing and that public consultation would be reopened on that material. It would, he said, be at the discretion of the board whether the oral hearing was reopened on the project.
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