LUAS Lucan

[226 Abhann na Suire]

Hi all, just a couple of musings about Luas Lucan, just said I’d put them here to at least get them out of my muddled brain!

I’ve been looking over the plans for the Luas Lucan Line and I’m a bit confused. The line seems to have an ideal alignment from Adamstown as far as Ballyfermot but I’m unsure as to the route plan from there. I’ve seen plans where the Lucan Line is treated as a branch off of the Red Line (joining at Blackhorse all the way into the city) but I think this should be avoided at all costs as all they can possibly do is decrease frequency to Tallaght, Saggart and Lucan - shooting oneself in the foot!

I have wondered why a Phoenix Park or Chapelizod Road option has not been considered, something similar to below (drawn on in yellow)
as a stop in the park as well as at the Zoo and on Parkgate Street could be built with the line then crossing the Liffey adjacent to the Sean Heuston Bridge with a connecting station at Heuston and path-sharing with the Red Line to the top of Steven’s Lane before heading down James’ Street and into the south city.

I wonder though if there are regulations about putting it through the Park…? It doesn’t serve a lot of populated areas either no matter which route you go here, and while the park option would be good, the Chapelizod Road option would travel around 3 kilometres without a stop which is probably a waste of tram line… And maybe the bridge over the Liffey Valley here is just too elaborate…

However, the best plans I have seen is where it meets the Red Line at Blackhorse, heads up Tyrconnel Road and through Inchicore and along Emmett Road before meeting again at James’s and sharing track for 50 metres before continuing on James’s Street towards Christchurch (drawn on again in yellow below) I have seen plans that suggest it just joins the Red Line instead between Blackhorse and James’s before before continuing on James’s Street towards Christchurch which would (with capacity enhancements on the road-segregated section in question here, be doable) but I still think the above option is preferableI as it a) opens up new areas to Luas access and b) minimises shared corridors to maximise frequency.

And finally I do think that rather than ending it at Trinity (a bit of a middle of nowhere stop transport-wise) a continuation out Townsend Street to link with DART and Metro at the southern Townsend Street entrance to Tara Street Station (in front of the planned Metro stop), and maybe even on down Pearse Street and to the Bord Gáis/Grand Canal or even out as far as Poolbeg and Ringsend (Metro included in dark purple)

 

Just a couple of general musings/ideasI thought I’d share with regards to it as it would be a great asset and a very useful 3rd line for the city if done right!