Route of Metro North announced

[Maximus]

Following an extensive public consultation process the Minister for Transport Martin Cullen TD has announced the route of the new Metro North line. The new line which will be operational by 2012 will:

- Remove 40,000 cars-a-day from the roads

- Accommodate 80,000 passengers-a-day

- 17 minutes journey time from the city centre to Dublin Airport

- 26 minutes journey time from St Stephens Green to Swords

The investment which will cost an estimated €1.2bn will serve the following areas:

St. Stephens Green
O’Connell Bridge
Parnell Square
Mater Hospital
Druncondra
Griffith Avenue
Dublin City University
Ballymun
Santry Demesne
Metropark (Park & Ride)
Dublin Airport
Nevinstown
Swords
Seatown
Lissenhall

Route Map now available here
Further details: Transport.ie

[hiker]

There was a bit of talk that they might extend it the extra 3 kilometers to Donabate and so hook up with the Northern Line.
Was there any mention of this?

[TheBear]

<Mod>Moved to Transport.</Mod>

[BarryW]

TKWhiskers - why were no costings of any kind given for the project? Not even ballpark figures were provided by Cullen today

FF are usually good at demanding costings from others. Why aren't they providing them for their own projects?

[shannonBlueShirt]

No mention of when they hope to start building it then...

Just announcing the first phase of the design….

[Salthill]

TKWhiskers - why were no costings of any kind given for the project? Not even ballpark figures were provided by Cullen today

FF are usually good at demanding costings from others. Why aren't they providing them for their own projects?

Weak.

Because one of the key criticisms of how projects were managed in the past was providing costs before final specifications and tendering. Costings at this stage are a finger in the air and the C&AG (whose word is infallible according to FG) called for this approach to be stopped. I suspect that FG actually called for this new approach.

I presume the cost is within T21 and does not involve a new commitment of money.

[KingKane]

Surely, there is a map about that shows where the stops are specifically rather than the vagueness of this one. Griffith Avenue - where on Griffith Avenue?

[Biffo]

Because one of the key criticisms of how projects were managed in the past was providing costs before final specifications and tendering. Costings at this stage are a finger in the air and the C&AG (whose word is infallible according to FG) called for this approach to be stopped. I suspect that FG actually called for this new approach.

I presume the cost is within T21 and does not involve a new commitment of money.

Correct and this is lame coming from FG. The fact is that T21 is the blueprint for a fully integrated and highly ambitious transport infrastructure for this country. The initial costing estimates are broken down into €15.8bn invested in the National Roads programme, €18.5bn investment in public transport and regional airports. As any fair minded person will appreciate these figures are strategic estimates and cannot allow for inflation in the construction sector or for any number of unforeseen events. But the main point, as was made above, is that releasing figures at his stage before the tendering process or the projects were even designed would result in the kind of spin we have grown accustomed to from the likes of Richard Bruton who takes unconnected figures from different sources in an attempt to score cheap political points about government waste.

[FutureTaoiseach]

No mention of when they hope to start building it then...

Just announcing the first phase of the design….

Ummm they say it will be operational in 2012 that's what matters. :wink:

Great idea. Will reduce horrendous traffic congestion, help cut carbon-emissions through increasing use of public-transport, as well as acting as a powerful icon of Celtic Tiger Ireland. Look forward to having a metro like London, New York, Paris and Moscow.

Just hope the nimbys don't hold it up.

[hiker]

No mention of when they hope to start building it then...

Just announcing the first phase of the design….

Ummm they say it will be operational in 2012 that's what matters. :wink:

Great idea. Will reduce horrendous traffic congestion, help cut carbon-emissions through increasing use of public-transport, as well as acting as a powerful icon of Celtic Tiger Ireland. Look forward to having a metro like London, New York, Paris and Moscow.

Just hope the nimbys don't hold it up.

The Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Bill 2006 will probably solve that problem.
Its like peices on a jigsaw begining to fall into place.