Sir, - The report of the Light Rail Advisory Group which was passed to the Minister for Public Enterprise in recent days is most welcome. There are many important and positive elements to the report which will be greatly appreciated by the frustrated and much put-upon travelling public in Dublin. The pressure from this advisory group to advance the whole process at a quicker pace is essential. Many Dubliners have begun to feel Luas will never happen.
There are a number of areas of deep concern identified by the report, one being that it has established that to date no timetable has been set out for the North Dublin line.
An open-ended consultation process on possible routes has been ongoing for some time. This urgently needs to have a definitive date for conclusion and a timetable for the commencement of service. This is particularly so in light of escalating costs and the history of postponement surrounding Luas. The issue of where the North Dublin line terminates must be dealt with, particularly in the context of the City and County (Fingal) Development plans. With the actual and projected growth of Swords, the increase of employment in its surrounding area and its connection with Dublin Airport, it would not take much of an imaginative leap to see that extending the line to Swords would make more sense and provide many benefits.
There are many major developments about to happen in the North Dublin region. A real vision and focus in relation to the Luas project is now required, and, if provided, this exciting project, can feed directly into the needs of the major investment decisions being taken for this region.
A renewed commitment is needed for the people of North Dublin. Surely, it would not be unreasonable to expect a timetable with real target dates to be established at a time that is crucial for the development of this region. - Yours, etc.,
Odran Reid, Chief Executive, NorDubCo, Finglas, Dublin 11.