TCD may be affected by Luas link line

The Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) may seek to have the walls and railings of Trinity College Dublin moved back at Nassau Street and lower Grafton Street to accommodate the proposed Luas link line through the centre of the city.

The agency said yesterday that there were difficulties in accommodating both Luas and buses along the narrow central city streets around the college, and while it "would have respect for the built environment", the RPA "wouldn't rule out moving the wall and railings to take land".

The RPA would have to seek a railway order from the Minister for Transport before proceeding with such a proposal.

Luas has frequently maintained it cannot share road space with other traffic over significant lengths of track, and was successful in having its own space for its lines in Harcourt Street and Middle Abbey Street.

Following the decision by Minister for Transport, Mr Cullen, to prioritise the linking of the two Luas lines, the RPA is looking again at its original plans for the route from St Stephen's Green to O'Connell Street, the "central corridor".

The difficulty is that Dublin Bus is also a heavy user of the central corridor where a third of all its services travel - representing some 55 million passengers a year.

A spokeswoman could not say how many services or passengers would use the critical "pinch points" at Nassau Street and lower Grafton Street, but she remarked that the issue was "huge for Dublin Bus".

Mr Ger Hannon, of the RPA, said trams could not realistically be expected to be delayed behind significant numbers of buses at bus stops, and "everything" was being examined, including the routing of the line. But he acknowledged that the Dawson Street/Nassau Street/Grafton Street route was the one which most "readily presented itself".

He said the RPA would use some of Trinity College's land if it did not affect the architecture of the college and if they could "maintain the architectural integrity" of the listed buildings. The agency would also consult relevant bodies and the city council before anything was done.

But he added, "if it was a question of a set of railings being moved back and an available site behind, then I wouldn't rule out moving the wall and railings".

The Provost of Trinity College, Dr John Hegarty, whose house abuts the area in question, was not available yesterday afternoon. A spokeswoman said the college had not received any notification of the proposal.