LUAS TRAMS will not stop at a new station being built in south Dublin because development planned for the area has not materialised, the Rail Procurement Agency (RPA) has said.
A new Luas line from Sandyford to Cherrywood in south Dublin is currently under construction, and is expected to be operational next autumn.
Costs for the development have been estimated at €40 million a kilometre.
Eleven stops will be constructed along the B1 line, including at Ballyogan, Leopardstown, Carrickmines and Cherrywood.
However, although a stop is being built at Brennanstown, off the N11 near Cabinteely, Luas trams will not stop there. New housing developments in the area had been and are being marketed on the basis of proximity to the Luas stop.
A spokesman for the RPA said the area around the Brennanstown stop had not developed in the way that was expected.
He said the road infrastructure around the stop had not been built.
“There is no way passengers can get in and out,” he said.
It was not the responsibility of the RPA to provide access roads, he added.
“It is really a matter of how the area has developed.”
Fine Gael TD George Lee said the decision not to stop at the station would be a “a kick in the teeth” for local residents.
“This will come as a major shock to local residents, many of whom bought apartments and houses in the area at the height of the boom in the expectation that they would have a Luas stop on their doorstep in the near future.
“These are the same people who are suffering terribly from negative equity,” Mr Lee added. “Plans to deprive them of a Luas service is like kicking them when they are down.”
He said he understood the Rail Procurement Agency was concerned that the demand for a Luas service would not be sufficient due to the number of empty apartments in the area.
He said he would raise the matter with Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey.
“I am calling on the Minister to ensure that the Brennanstown stop opens from day one when the Luas line is extended.”
