Government approval for Dublin’s next Luas line, which could bring trams to Finglas by 2031, will be sought by Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan on Tuesday.
A population of about 60,000 people would be served by the new Finglas Luas line, which would connect to the existing Green line at Broombridge in Cabra, with services running every 7.5 minutes to the city centre and on to Brides Glen in south Dublin.
Under the Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area the Finglas Luas line had been scheduled for completion by 2036. However, Mr Ryan indicated earlier this year he supported accelerated development of the project and would seek prioritisation of its construction.
A positive Cabinet decision this week would allow Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), the State body with responsibility for developing the line, to seek planning consent from An Bord Pleanála for its development, which could push its expected completion forward by several years.
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TII chief executive Peter Walsh in June told The Irish Times he was “immediately” ready to seek a Railway Order from the board to build the line as soon as Government approval was delivered. “If we got approval, the preliminary design is in existence so it would be a matter of weeks to have it in with An Bord Pleanála,” he said.
It is understood that an application to the board before the end of this year would put the line on track for completion by 2031.
The Green line extension from St Stephen’s Green to Broombridge began services in 2017 and was designed to provide for a link to Finglas. However, while a preferred route for the 4km line was selected, its development was long-fingered, with other rail projects – particularly the MetroLink which also serves the northside of Dublin – prioritised.
The project received a boost last year with the approval by Dublin City Council of a regeneration masterplan for the Jamestown Business Park, 43 hectares of industrial lands to the north of Finglas village.
The lands have been identified as having the potential for 3,800 homes, accommodating a population of up to 8,000 people. More than half the sites have been classified by the council as “immediately available” for development, and substantial numbers of homes could be in place before the Luas starts operating.
[ Luas to get new trams worth €500m over next 15 yearsOpens in new window ]
The preferred route of the Finglas line would have four stops, running north from Broombridge to St Helena’s in south Finglas, an area dominated by two-storey social housing developments largely built in the 1970s; then on to Finglas Village; to St Margaret’s Road, which will serve the new Jamestown housing as well as existing estates; before terminating at Charlestown, close to the M50 and dominated by a shopping centre and high-density apartment schemes built over the past 20 years.
The journey time from Charlestown, the furthest station, to College Green would be approximately 30 minutes, shaving about 17 minutes off the morning commute by car, according to National Transport Authority assessments, which estimate the new line will take about 440,000 private car journeys off the roads along the route annually.
The line will also provide interchanges with rail services at Broombridge, which is also on the planned DART+ West line between Dublin city and Maynooth. In addition, there will be a 350-vehicle park and ride facility near the St Margaret’s Road stop, close to the M50 and M2 interchange.
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