Luas link plan to be debated

Plans to link up Dublin's two Luas light rail lines are to be the subject of a new round of public consultation starting this week.

The link, to be know as Luas Line BX because it is an extension of the Sandyford line B, will run north from St Stephen's Green to join up with the Red Line. It will also provide a "tie-in" for the proposed city centre, Grangegorman and Liffey junction extension.

A year ago the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) put forward five route options for the link, and the "preferred option" then was a straight run of double-track to Upper O'Connell Street.

However, a new option, to be the subject of a public information day in the Civic Offices on Tuesday next, would run as a double track to College Green, where it would change to single track and run north via Westmoreland Street, O'Connell Bridge and along the west side of O'Connell Street.

It would turn into Cathal Brugha Street and then run south along Marlborough Street, crossing the Liffey on a new bridge and continuing via Hawkins Street and College Street to rejoin the double track section at College Green.

At the last public consultation Dublin Bus made strenuous representations because of fears of widespread disruption to bus services, in the central city "spine" of its network. The bus company favoured another route, running via Merrion Square, but a major problem with this was the length of the route, which might have made walking from St Stephen's Green to College Green a viable alternative.

Strong representations were also made by Dublin City Council, which didn't want to see O'Connell Street turned into a building site again so soon after completing its €40 million upgrade. In an effort to address these concerns, the RPA came up with Option F - running up O'Connell Street and down Marlborough Street.

The revised BX plan would be 65 per cent more expensive than the original scheme favoured by the RPA. It would also involve removing the bus lane and restricting through-traffic on Dawson Street, while Kildare Street would become two-way.