Make haste slowly seems to be the advice those responsible for the development of Dublin's transport infrastructure have heeded over the past 21 years. In 1994, a Dublin Transportation Initiative report first proposed a light rail system for the capital. Ten years later the Luas lines from the city centre to Tallaght and Dundrum finally opened. And by summer, Minister for Transport, Paschal Donohoe, is now expected to recommend to Government the building of a Luas link connecting the city with the airport. Over more than two decades, as the city has expanded outwards and its population in the greater Dublin area increased, the transport service has failed to keep pace with these changes.
Mr Donohoe is awaiting a report from the National Transport Authority (NTA) on proposals for the north Dublin-Fingal area. The NTA is examining six options - including an amended Metro North proposal. But, as the Metro involves more tunnelling and is more expensive than a Luas link to the airport, it has less support.
Also under consideration is a rapid transit bus service between the city centre and Dublin Airport. This would involve long, single-decker buses running on special bus lanes, and operating with greater frequency, and to a higher standard than the current bus services.
That said, a Government decision later this year would merely be the first step taken on what could still be a long journey that will take a number of years, before Dublin experiences what other major cities have long enjoyed – a rapid transport system linking the airport with the centre of the city.
As funding has not yet been agreed for the project, and as planning approval would also be needed - given that tunnelling under Glasnevin Cemetery is envisaged – work may not start for some years. However, a firm decision by Government later this year, backed by adequate provision for funding and a clear timetable for completion, would be a welcome sign of its seriousness in meeting one of the capital’s most pressing transport needs.