Road disruption inevitable during metro building

Disruption to traffic is inevitable in the four-year construction of Dublin's new metro north rail line due to come into operation in 2012, the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) has said.

Three possible routes for the line, which will link Dublin city centre to Dublin airport and Swords, were put out to public consultation yesterday.

The completed line will carry a minimum of 80,000 passengers annually and remove an estimated 41,000 cars from the road every day. Trains are scheduled to run every three to four minutes, increasing to every 90 seconds once demand is established.

Unlike the Luas, the metro will not disrupt traffic while in operation because the ground level sections will be segregated from the roads. However ongoing traffic problems will be unavoidable during the construction of the line and stations, the RPA says.

All of the routes run through busy north Dublin suburbs, including Phibsboro, Glasnevin and Ballymun on the central line; Drumcondra and Santry on the east option and Cabra and Finglas on the west route.

The least construction disruption should be on the underground sections, however stations will still have to be built in these areas. Each of the routes crosses the M50 involves construction of elevated bridges.

"There will be traffic implications, that is inevitable, but the traffic management issues will be part of the detailed work with the City Council and Fingal County Council," RPA chief executive Frank Allen said.

Minister for Transport Martin Cullen said he did not expect metro construction to have the same effect on the M50 as the Dublin Port Tunnel work and any disruption would be justifiable in terms of the eventual transfer to public transport. "When this goes on stream, it will only benefit the travelling public and reduce the traffic on the roads," he said.

O'Connell Street, which has undergone a slow redevelopment over the last four years, is due for completion this May. However it is likely to undergo further excavations and the construction of a station as both the east and central routes travel underground.

Although the RPA says that all three routes will be considered, the central route, which is used as the metro example in the Government's Transport 21 documentation, has been signalled as the most likely option.

"Indications are that the central route is strongest from a number of points of view including construction feasibility, fulfilling transportation needs and capital cost," Mr Cullen said.

Mr Allen said no cost estimates for the project would be released for fear of "mugging" by potential contractors.