Statement details construction plans

SIGNIFICANT disruption and inconvenience over two years are predicted in the Markets area, Middle Abbey Street, College Green, Dawson Street and St Stephen's Green during the construction phase of the Luas project.

According to a summary of the environmental impact statement (EIS) on the project, released yesterday, this will cause traffic delays, inconvenience to shops, other businesses and residents, but these "unpleasant effects" will be minimised as far as possible.

This will be done by "putting in place planning and liaison procedures before and during the construction phase which will help to reduce the level of annoyance and irritation of those persons most affected", says the study, co ordinated by McHugh Consultants.

The estimated time of the construction of Luas through the city centre is about 18 months. "This will be one of the most difficult sections of the LRT (light rail transit) route to construct and there will be a need for a high degree of project management and coordination," it says.

It will be necessary to relocate many underground public services - such as gas, water, sewerage, electricity and telecommunications - away from the LRT trackbed. This preparatory work will take six months, according to the study.

Some limited demolition will be required in the grounds of St James's Hospital, through which the Luas will run, and more extensive demolition on James's Street, particularly at its junction with Bow Lane, to facilitate the link between Tallaght and the city centre.

A significant amount of property acquisition and demolition will also be necessary on the northern side of the Liffey between Benburb Street and O'Connell Street, with Arran Quay Terrace, Mary's Abbey and Upper Abbey Street as the worst affected areas.

However, the EIS points out that urban design framework plans - which it describes as "aspirational" - have been drawn up in consultation with Dublin Corporation showing how these properties might be redeveloped subsequent to the installation of Luas.

Altogether, the first phase of the project - linking Tallaght with Dundrum, via the city centre - will involve the construction of 22 km of light rail, including a double track, 33 tram stops and overhead electricity wires. This would generate up to 600 jobs.

Sixty per cent of the route consists of a dedicated reservation, including most of its length between Tallaght and Heuston Station and between the Grand Canal and Balally, south of Dundrum, where it uses the former Harcourt Street railway line. The rest is "on street".

A dramatic cable stay bridge suspended from a lifted concrete tower, will carry the trams over Lower Churchtown Road in Dundrum. This will be a significant landscape feature, visible over a wide area. A more conventional bridge will take the trams over the Grand Canal.

Though the LRT system will be mostly segregated, there will be some shared sections with road traffic. Provision will also be made to allow road traffic to cross the tracks where there is shared running on the street and also at junctions and access points.

Wires will be six metres overhead, giving adequate clearance for general traffic. These wires will be supported by poles and also by fixing the support wiring to selected buildings in the city centre, to minimise its visual impact.

Tram stops would have low platforms, no more than twice the height of existing footpaths, with ramps facilitating easy access by all passengers. They will also have ticket machines and "real time" information systems showing when the next tram will arrive.

The first phase of the project will include a fleet of 29 articulated trams, each one 30 metres long - though the design will allow this to be extended by an extra 10 metres as required. They will have a partial low floor, providing level boarding for all, including the mobility impaired.

Each tram will have a capacity of 235 passengers - 60 of them seated. At the commencement of the Luas service in 2001, the capacity of the system will be 3,000 passengers per hour in each direction. "This will cater for the maximum estimated demand."

Dealing with the case for putting Luas underground - as advocated by Dr Garret FitzGerald and others the EIS says this was "examined in detail" and rejected as "it cannot be justified on financial, economic and environmental grounds, or customer numbers".

More importantly, it says, an underground system would not be consistent with the wider Dublin Transportation Initiative's land use and transportation strategy for the capital. It was the DTI's final report in 1994 which recommended a street running light rail system.

"There would be significantly greater levels of disruption and environmental impact associated with the construction of an underground system than for an on street service," the EIS says, adding that an underground would also be "significantly less accessible".

In addition, "the very considerable additional cost of building and operating an underground system would not be justifiable given the level of demand and the financial resources available to Dublin".