Dart underground plan time limit running out

[GSR 800]

Heard this on the news. IR haven't a lot of time to get the dart underground project running. Will they bail on this or will we have a underground for Dublin?

[Garfield]

Heard this on the news. IR haven't a lot of time to get the dart underground project running. Will they bail on this or will we have a underground for Dublin?

 

It's ultimately a Government decision, not Irish Rail's. Decision expected next month.

 

http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0805/719405-dart-underground/

[Tarabuses]

I'm sure IR are in favour but I fear that our Government will chicken out.

[StevieB]

From the government's point of view the tunnel route, Dart Overground?,is far preferable cost wise to Dart Underground even though it will not achieve the objective of connecting all routes to the city centre.

 

Stephen

[GSR 800]

They said the Phoenix park tunnel was only a temporary solution? . Frankly I think the dart underground is a fantastic idea. It will reduce traffic and therefore co2 emissions and will make Dublin a much more tourist friendly area. I'm sure it would be extremely successful.

[Tarabuses]

The Phoenix Park tunnel is in no way an alternative to DART underground. It's the same as the Bus Rapid Transit to Swords being proposed in place of Metro North. These downgraded proposals are just putting sticking plasters on the traffic problems.

[hurricanemk1c]

The Phoenix Park Tunnel project is quite political. If it fails, it gives the Government a reason not to give the full go-ahead to DART Underground (missing the point of it). If it is moderately successful, they will claim it is enough and no DART Underground needed. If it is massively successful (which I doubt), it will lead to DART Underground or throttling capacity to turn people away. I'm just waiting for the inevitable failure of something, be it train or points in the Connolly area, messing up both Connolly and Heuston.

 

Whilst the above failure could (and will at some point) happen with DART Underground, it is less likely to have an affect across the whole network as Phoenix Park will have, due to the diagramming of the ICR fleet (making maximum use of the fleet)

[jhb171achill]

I'd love to see the underground - it's already necessary, never mind when the economy grows (and population with it). 1.25 million people, or about a fifth of the entire island population, already live in greater Dublin. In other words, Dublin now has as many people as almost three-quarters of Northern Ireland. So it arguably needs an internal rail network bigger than NIR!!

Edited August 8, 2015 by jhb171achill

[Mayner]

How will the Government raise the Billion + € needed to build the DART underground? Higher taxes or congestion charges in the Greater Dublin region?

 

Traffic figures on similar schemes in Sydney & Brisbane have not lived up to expectations with the Government having to step in with a much higher level of subsidy than originally planned.

 

Accepting EU or World Bank funding could leave Ireland even more indebted and economic policy subject to the whims of the Trokia.

[Junctionmad]

How will the Government raise the Billion + € needed to build the DART underground? Higher taxes or congestion charges in the Greater Dublin region?

 

Traffic figures on similar schemes in Sydney & Brisbane have not lived up to expectations with the Government having to step in with a much higher level of subsidy than originally planned.

 

Accepting EU or World Bank funding could leave Ireland even more indebted and economic policy subject to the whims of the Trokia.

 

The gov has full access to capital markets and with a declining budget deficit could easily fund dart underground and remain within the stability pact.

 

Like everything it's a question of priority politics. Are there many votes in DU , I doubt it.