Plan to realign Luas extension

The Dublin Transportation Office has prepared a plan for the extension of the Luas light rail system to Carrickmines, in south Co Dublin. The plan differs from previous proposals in that it moves away from the old Harcourt Street line, to serve the population centres of Stepaside and Ballyogan.

While the final route will be subject to public consultation, The Irish Times understands that the decision to change the alignment was taken because of the low-density housing in areas through which the old line passed, especially around Leopardstown Racecourse and Foxrock Golf Club.

It is now proposed to bring the line south across the Leopards town Road at the Legionaries of Christ building, with a possible alternative being through Leopardstown Park Hospital, Glencairn, Murphystown Road, Ballyogan Road and rejoining the Harcourt Street line in the area of the former Carrickmines railway station.

Eventually it is hoped to have the light rail system pass through the developing Cherrywoood lands near Loughlinstown.

According to Mr Michael Ahern of the Dublin Transportation office the decision would allow light rail to be within reach of the centres of projected population growth around Stepaside.

The Fine Gael spokeswoman on traffic, Ms Olivia Mitchell, welcomed the new alignment, saying the "projected population and new jobs planned for the Leopardstown area would ensure that it would be economically feasible.

"There is also a strong case to require those who seek to build in the area to make a contribution towards its construction and at the very least to provide the necessary land."

Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has recently received its biggest planning application for industrial development of the Legionaries of Christ lands where the developers are proposing to create some industrial units providing some 8,000 jobs.

"Even with the planned South Eastern Motorway in place the area could not sustain the traffic levels such developments would generate without the provision of a mass public transportation system," Ms Mitchell said.

A spokesman for the Light Rail office of CIE said that because of the high-density plans for the area, the timescale for the present Luas scheme could be altered to allow for the inclusion of the realigned route sooner than would initially have been planned.

He said the public inquiry under the chairmanship of Judge Sean O'Leary would begin on April 13th. If no applications for a judicial review of the Tallaghtcity centre line were received by May 5th, that line would be confirmed and construction work would begin. The following stage would be the city centre-docklands/Connolly station section, followed by the underground between St Stephen's Green and Broadstone and following that, the airport-Broadstone section.

The order did not mean that the Carrickmines line came after all the others, according to the spokesman, who repeated that its importance "might well see it shift in terms of priority".