Two sections of Dublin's Luas rail network could be operating within three years, as a result of planners' efforts to speed up the project.
Commuters could be using a major section of the Sandyford-St Stephen's Green line by the end of 2002 - six months ahead of schedule - according to the Luas Advisory/Action Group. The Light Rail Transit team is aiming to have the opening of this line coincide with the start of the full service on the Tallaght-Abbey Street route.
The team hopes to provide an interim service between Sandyford and the Grand Canal, with the final stretch of the line to St Stephens Green being completed by June 2003.
The planners believe the major section of the Sandyford line can be opened ahead of schedule because the line will follow the route of the old Harcourt StreetBray track, which closed in 1959.
The clearing of the route is already under way, while work to relocate utilities will begin in the coming weeks.
But the Luas group has revealed that attempts to open the Tallaght line six to nine months ahead of schedule have been thwarted. It had been intended to bring the line through the grounds of St James's Hospital but the hospital rejected the proposal, and so the planners had to return to the original route around the hospital complex.
The advisory group also confirmed yesterday that it was looking at several possible routes for the Dublin Airport-Broadstone line. The options include west through Finglas or east through Glasnevin and Drumcondra.
The group's six- monthly progress report, published yesterday, noted that the public consultation process found that both the DCU and Drumcondra residents wanted the line to go close to them, but there was "little or no response" in relation to a possible extension to Finglas.
"The lack of response from people in Finglas means the case for bringing it through there is weak," the Luas project director, Mr Donal Mangan, said. If the Finglas route is not selected, it is planned to run a spur from Finglas to the Airport-Broadstone line at a later stage.
At the presentation of the progress report, the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, said the northern route selected would be the one which best suited the people.
The advisory group proposed that an application for the northern line be submitted by CIE to the Minister for Public Enterprise by spring 2001, and that completion be scheduled for summer 2005.
The group chairman, Mr Padraic White, said public scepticism remained as to when the rail network plans would be implemented. His group's six-monthly reports aimed to show that work was progressing on schedule.
When complete, the new service is projected to cut peak travelling times between Tallaght and the city centre to 38 minutes, and between Sandyford and the city centre to 22 minutes. The services are also intended to reduce road traffic on those routes by 20 per cent.
Models of the new Luas carriages were also unveiled yesterday. The first of the silver-coloured units will arrive next year.
Twenty units have been ordered for the Tallaght line, at a cost of over £20 million. A further 14 will be ordered for the Sandyford line, with an option of another six for the Abbey Street-Connolly Station route.
Each unit will seat 60 people and carry a total of up to 240 passengers.