The extension of the Luas line to Finglas in north Dublin, the first expansion of the tram system since 2017, is facing new delays following a court challenge to the project.
Firethorn Ltd, which owns the Manhattan Peanuts factory on McKee Avenue in Finglas, has initiated judicial review proceedings against An Coimisiún Pleanála’s decision to grant permission for the new line, which had been expected to start operations in 2031.
The new line, granted permission on October 28th, was planned to run from the current Green line terminus at Broombridge in Cabra to Charlestown, north of Finglas village, a distance of just under 4km, at an expected cost about €600 million.
The peanut factory is at the northern end of the planned line and the company had argued, in submissions to the planning commission, the project would affect daily operations and development capacity of the factory lands and would impede access to its lands.
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On Friday the company said it had, during the planning process, agreed a solution with State transport developer Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) that addressed access and operational needs while facilitating delivery of the Luas project.
“However, that agreed position was not reflected in the final approval, leaving the company with no alternative but to seek a judicial review of that decision,” it said.
Don O’Neill, managing director of Manhattan Peanuts, said the legal action was not taken in order to oppose the Luas extension.
“Instead, it relates to a very specific and limited concern regarding the scale of land proposed to be taken from our rear yard - land which, in our view, is not required for the delivery or operation of the Luas extension and would result in unnecessary cost to the taxpayer.”
The company remained “committed to engaging positively, constructively and reasonably with all stakeholders to reach an outcome that is in the best interests of the Finglas community, public transport users and the taxpayer,” Mr O’Neill said.
The line was designed with four stops, running north from Broombridge, to St Helena’s in south Finglas, an area dominated by two-storey social housing developments largely built in the 1970s; then on to Finglas Village; next to St Margaret’s Road, which will serve the new Jamestown housing development and existing estates; before terminating close to the M50 at Charlestown, an area dominated by a shopping centre and high-density apartment schemes built over the past 20 years.
The peanut factory is close to the St Margaret’s Road stop.
In a statement on Friday, TII said it regretted the delay to “this important public transport project that will unlock ambitious housing plans in the Finglas area”.
It said: “We are hopeful that the matter will progress efficiently through the judicial review process and that the Railway Order will be upheld.”
The extension of the Green line to Finglas would expand tram services to an additional 60,000 people, with trams running every 7½ minutes to the city centre and on to Brides Glen in south Dublin, TII has said.
The journey time from Charlestown to College Green would be approximately 30 minutes, shaving about 17 minutes off the morning commute by car, according to National Transport Authority assessments, which estimate the new line will take about 440,000 private car journeys off the roads along the route annually.
The line would also provide interchanges with rail services at Broombridge, which is also on the planned DART+ West line between Dublin city and Maynooth. In addition, there will be a 350-vehicle park-and-ride facility near the St Margaret’s Road stop, close to the M50 and M2 interchange.
The Green line began operations from Sandyford in to St Stephen’s Green 21 years ago. An additional southside stop was opened in 2010, bringing the line to Brides Glen, south of Cherrywood.
The more significant cross-city extension from St Stephen’s Green to Broombridge began services in 2017 and was designed to provide for a link to Finglas. However, while a preferred route for the 3.9km line was selected, its development was long-fingered, with other rail projects – particularly the MetroLink which also serves the northside of Dublin – prioritised.
