Transport Latest in Dublin West

• Fingal County Council has been allocated €10,660,875 under the 2011 National Roads Programme.
• More than €1.4 billion was spent in 2010 on enhancements to national and regional and local road infrastructure.€867million will be spent on this year’s progamme.
• Over €8 billion has been invested in our road network since 1997. We have significantly expanded rail services, including commuter services and have completed phase one of the Western Rail Corridor.
• We have completed the major inter urban roads programme, that is, 750 km of motorway linking Dublin with the principal cities in the country, reducing journey times, increasing the reliability of journeys and improving road safety.
• Having completed the roads programmes, this year more than €1.4 billion will be spent this year on vital public transport programmes, including the planning and procurement processes for Metro North and the Luas extension to Citywest which will be completed in 2011.
• The 32km M50 upgrade scheme was completed in 2010 four months ahead of schedule. Construction first began in 2006 and was built at a cost of €1billion.
• The Upgrade Scheme has transformed the M50 from a two-lane heavily congested road with toll barriers and signalled interchanges into a modern free-flowing motorway that has reduced journey times by up to 50%.
• In 2005 we launched Transport 21, a 10-year plan which will invest €34 billion in our infrastructure.
• Rail services, including commuter services, have expanded significantly resulting in substantially increased capacity for passengers.
• The Luas Docklands extension opened last December, Cherrywood opened in October this year and City West is well advanced and is scheduled to open in 2011. Capacity on the Red and Green Luas lines was increased

Roads Completed

· Port Tunnel

• M50 South Eastern Motorway
• M50/N11 Wyattville Interchange

· M50 Second West link Bridge (PPP): opened in 2003

· M50 Upgrade 1 & 3

• N7 Naas Road Widening:
• Ashbourne bypass.
• Major M1 route to Northern Ireland has been completed.
• The N2 Finglas to Ashborne road development (17kms) is open to traffic.
• N4 Leixlip to M50 Junction
• N7 Newlands Cross Junction
• M50 Upgrade Phase 2

Roads to be completed

• N81 Tallaght Bypass extension constraints study
• N81 Tallaght to Hollywood Cross constraints study
• N7 Newlands Cross Junction Improvement scheme at tender stage

Road Safety Dublin City

• The improvement in our roads has led to a dramatic decrease in road deaths. Road deaths in Ireland dropped by 30% in the period from 1997 to 2007.
• Between 1997 and 2006 there was a reduction of 68% in fatalities in Dublin City, 73% reduction in people killed and seriously injured in Dublin City while Pedestrian fatalities in Dublin City have reduced by 77%.

Barrier Free Tolling

• In 2008 Barrier-free electronic tolling was introduced which saw the removal of the West-link toll plaza (shaving 30 minutes off journey times for southbound motorists at peak hour).This will coincide with the completion of the M50 upgrade on the section between the Ballymount and N4 interchanges.

Rail

• The Irish Rail fleet has been renewed.
• The 67 new intercity carriages on the Dublin to Cork line and the 177 new intercity rail cars have provided increased capacity on all major intercity and commuter routes. An additional 51 intercity rail cars will begin to arrive in Ireland next year.
• In 2008 183 new Intercity Railcars were rolled out across the network with four 3 car units entering service on the Dublin/Galway line and new railcars on the Dublin to Waterford line.
• In 2006 DART trains were extended to 8-carriage length and platforms were extended in all 30 DART stations, the overhead power lines were renewed across the system along with improved accessibility, following the €176 million programme.
• This €176million programme doubled capacity on the DART and was the largest investment in the railways in Dublin since the introduction of the service in 1984.
• We completed the DART extension to Greystones and Malahide, real time electronic information system were installed at Stations, a new station was opened at Grand Canal Dock and Clongriffin and a range of station improvements including extension of ‘park and ride’ facilities were provided.
• Construction on the Dublin city centre resignalling project began in early 2009 and is expected to be completed in 2012.
• The resignalling project will provide for capacity enhancement by upgrading signalling to accommodate an additional 5 train paths per direction per hour (up from 12 at present to 17) in the critical City Centre area.
• The Kildare Rail Project involves quadrupling of critical section of track between Cherry Orchard and Hazlehatch on the Heuston-Kildare line. Constructionbeganin mid 2007. Since then Adamstown station, Park West and Cherry Orchard Station, Clondalkin Fonthill and Hazelhatch and Celbridge station have opened.
• A new train station was also opened in the Dublin Docklands in 2007.
• New Docklands Train station opened 3 months ahead of schedule and under budget at a cost of €20 million.
• The Docklands Station provides15 new Irish Rail scheduled services each way, each day from Docklands to Clonsilla in West Dublin. The new route will service stops at Broombridge, Ashtown, Castleknock, Coolmine and Clonsilla. Journey time from the Docklands to Clonsilla will be 20 minutes.
• This new service is in addition to the existing service to Connolly, Tara St. and Pearse Stations and provides extra capacity for the Maynooth line.
• The new Docklands Station facilitates an additional 2,500 peak time commuters daily immediately on opening with a potential for up to 10,000 as services expand.
• Phase 1 of the Navan Rail line from Clonsilla to Dunboyne has been completed. The Dept of Transport allocated grants totalling €43.6 million to Iarnrod Eireann for this project in 2009.

Dublin Bus

• Since 1997 Dublin Bus has purchased 1.296 new buses. 718 of these buses were funded, either partially or fully, by the Exchequer.
• The unprecedented level of investment in public transport in the capital has seen the capacity of the Dublin Bus fleet grow by approximately 58% since 1997.
• Over the period 2006-2008 grants totalling €62m have been paid to Dublin Bus towards the cost of 100 additional and 200 replacement buses. All of these buseshad entered serviceby the first half of 2009.
• In March 2008 funding of €10.364 million was approved by the Department for Dublin Bus to meet the cost of the Automatic Vehicle Location System (AVLS) project, as well as expenditure on a new radio system, traffic light priority system (TLP) and the pilot of ‘next stop’ announcement system on 150 buses. Dublin Bus is currently proceeding with the introduction of an AVLS on board buses on a depot by depot basis.As of June 2010, AVLS has been rolled out to all routes operating out of Summerhill and Clontarf garages.
• The integrated ticketing system in the Greater Dublin Area is being introduced on a phased basis, based on smart card technology, over the period to 2011. A Smart-Card will be rolled-out for testing in 2010.
• All the Luas network and Dublin Bus fleet have been fitted with smart card readers.
• At present, electronic ‘pay-as-you-go’ smart cards are available for Luas services.
• In May 2010, Dublin Bus announced proposed new schedules and routes for Dublin 15.
• Services in Blanchardstown will be enhanced with the following changes:
  Fourcore routes (37, 38, 39a, 17a) will have peak frequencies of 10 minutes or better
• Improved Timetables - All timetables will be redesigned, they will be easier to understand and at consistent times past each hour so it will be easy to remember the time of your bus.
• All services will operate to St. Stephen’s Green or beyond.
• An all day high frequency connection to UCD Belfield, high frequency service from Castleknockand Carpenterstown to Blanchardstown Shopping Centre.
• A high frequency orbital service from James Connolly hospital serving Blanchardstown Shopping Centre, Blanchardstown Institute Technology, Cappagh Hospital, Finglas, Dublin City University, Santry, Beaumont Hospital, Coolock and Kilbarrack (Howth Junction DART).
• The high frequency direct Route 39a to UCD Belfield replaces the current 39x.
• Route 37x is amalgamated into Route 37, operating direct to Wilton Terrace (Leeson Street)
• Route 39a is amalgamated with Route 10, offering a high frequency cross city route to Blanchardstown via Baggot Street, City Centre, Stoneybatter and Navan Road.
• Routes 70, 70a, 70b and 70x will be amalgamated into one Route 70. All departures will leave Dunboyne and serve Clonee, Littlepace and then use the N3 (by-passing Blanchardstown Centre and Village) straight to Dublin City Centre and will terminate at Wilton Terrace (Leeson Street).

Luas

· Construction began on the first Luas line in 2000 with the first line, the Green line opening in June 2004 while the second line, the Red Line, opened in September 2004.

· The  Luas  is  in  its  7th  year  of operation. It carried a total of 25.4 million  passengers  in 2009  alone.

• The Luas Green Line extension from Sandyford to Cherrywood opened in October 2010. It extends the Luas Green Line (St.Stephen’s Green to Sandyford) to Bride’s Glen.

· The  project, which was built by the Railway  Procurement  Agency  in partnership with private sector interests, was  delivered  on  budget and on time and will generate an extra 2 million passenger journeys per annum on the Luas network. The cost of the extension was less than €300million.

• Luas Cherrywood will serve 9 new Luas Stops and will facilitate the achievement of Land Use objectives developed by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. The estimated journey time between Sandyford Stop and Brides Glen Stop is 19 minutes.
• The stops at Brennanstown and Racecourse are future stops. Stops are located at Central Park, Glencairn, The Gallops, Leopardstown Valley, Ballyogan Wood, Carrickmines, Laughanstown, Cherrywood and Brides Glen. The line will link with the Luas Green Line at the Sandyford Stop and terminate at the Brides Glen Stop.
• The feasibility Study on a possible Luas line connecting Dundrum to the City Centre via Rathfarnham, Terenure, and Harold’s Cross was published in May 2008. This study is a first step in a process of assessing whether or not the development of a line serving these areas should be pursued.
• The output of this study will form part of the input into the new transportation strategy for the Greater Dublin Area (Vision 2030) being developed by the Dublin Transportation Office.
• The Luas extension to Citywest is due for completion in 2011 while the Luas Docklands extension opened last December bringing people into the heart of the Docklands area as far as the 02 venue.
• The Red line to Citywest will serve the residential and commercial centre of City West including the National Digital Park. The project will also serve the communities of West Tallaght including Fettercairn and Cheeverstown.
• The integrated ticketing system in the Greater Dublin Area is being introduced on a phased basis, based on smart card technology, over the period to 2011. A Smart-Card will be rolled-out for testing in 2010.
• All the Luas network and Dublin Bus fleet have been fitted with smart card readers.
• At present, electronic ‘pay-as-you-go’ smart cards are available for Luas services.
• 22 new trams are now in service on the green line and all 26 new trams will be in service before end-2010. The last 4 of the original trams will then be transferred to the Red Line.
• This new fleet of trams have no interior step on either end and are therefore 100% “Low-floor” which assists the mobility-impaired and helps the free flow of passengers generally.
• There are many small improvements over and above the original fleet, including improved wheelchair areas, better passenger grab rail availability and one additional set of double-doors per side to facilitate faster boarding and alighting of passengers.
• The proposed Luas City Centre (Line BX) and Luas Broombridge (Line D) linesare an integral part of the Transport 21 Strategy.
• Luas City Centre (Line BX) will extend the Luas Green Line from St Stephen’s Green to O’Connell Street and provide an interchange opportunity with the Luas Red Lineat Abbey Street, thereby providing an essential missing link, a link critical to the establishment of a Luas network.
• Luas Broombridge (Luas D) will extend the Luas City Centre (Line BX) line from O’Connell Street to Broombridge via Broadstone and Grangegorman.At Broombridge the Luas Line will interchange with Iarnrod Éireann’s Maynooth railway line services.
• In December 2008 the Railway Procurement Agency merged the proposed Luas City Centre (Line BX) project and the Luas Broombridge (Line D) project into a single project. The overall proposed line between St Stephen’s Green and Broombridge is now referred to as Luas Broombridge (Line BXD).
• The Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) submitted its application for a Railway Order to An Bord Pleanála on 24 June 2010.
• All the Luas network and Dublin Bus fleet have been fitted with smart card readers.

Smarter Travel

• Funding for Smarter Travel was increased from €10 million to €25 million in 2010. We are committed to creating a culture of cycling in Dublin and around the country.
• 330 kilometres of cycle network now exist in the Greater Dublin Area. Over 24,000 commuters now cycle to work. Between 1997-2005 €29.5m has been spent to build cycle paths.
• The Dublin Bikes scheme launched by Dublin City Council in September 2009 and operation of the Bus Gate at College Green. The success of the Dublin Bikes Scheme has exceeded all expectations and is now the most successful bike sharing scheme in western Europe.
• Refurbishment of 22 km of cycle lanes in Dublin city
• Continued financial support for premium cycle routes - Dublin City from Portobello to Fairview; Galway City - Fisheries Field cycle route; South Dublin - linkage of Adamstown to Grand Canal route to Inchicore.
• According to figures from Dublin City Council reveal the number of cyclists is steadily climbing, wit an increase of 30 per cent between 2003 and 2008.
• Dublin City Council is developing plans for an off road cycle ruote via the Grand Canal, the new Samuel Beckett Bridget and the Royal Canal to provide a link from Portobello to Fairview Park.
• South Dublin County Council is developing a cycling route between Adamstown and Inchicore.
• Government is providing funding to assist Dublin City Council investigate the feasibility of connecting the aforementioned projects.

Metro West

• Metro West is a key component of the Transport 21 framework. It will be an orbital Metro connecting Tallaght in the west of Dublin with Metro North near Dublin Airport. It is expected that in excess of 20 million passengers will use MetroWest each year.
• Metro West will link the towns of Tallaght, Clondalkin, Blanchardstown and Porterstown and will provide a fast commuter service to the city centre and the airport via Metro North
• Completion date will be subject to the relevant statutory process and the procurement and contract award processes; the start and completion dates of projects which have not yet commenced, including Metro West, will also be determined by the funding allocation available during the current difficult economic climate
• InJuly 2007 Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey TD and RPA Chief Executive Frank Allen announced the Emerging Preferred Route Corridor for Metro West.
• In November 2008, following extensive public consultation with local interests and stakeholders, the RPA refined the preferred route for Metro West to define the alignment and indicative stop, depot and Park & Ride locations. Work will continue on the preparation of the Environmental Impact Statement for this project and on the suite of other technical documents that are necessary to accompany an application to An Bord Pleanala for a Railway Order.

Metro North

• Metro north remains a key priority for the Government under the recently announced Capital Investment Programme.
• It is the catalyst for significant inward investment in the Metro North Economic Corridor stretching from Ballymun to north of Swords including Dublin airport, which is predicted to generate 37,000 new jobs.
• It will provide the spine of an integrated public transport network similar to those enjoyed by other European capital cities.
• It will integrate with the proposed DART interconnector and the existing suburban rail lines, existing and future Luas lines, the proposed Metro West, Dublin Airport and the bus network.
• It underpins the significant public and private investment ion the regeneration of Ballymun.
• The population of the Greater Dublin Area in 2006 was about 1.66 million. By 2020 it is expected to exceed 2 million.
• Fingal is the fastest growing county in Ireland. Its population is set to double over the next 20 years. 2006 CSO figures show 240,000 living in the Fingal area. This is expected to double over next 20 years. Most of that growth will happen in the residential areas along the Metro North corridor.
• Following a rigorous economic appraisal process the Metro North project was approved by the European Investment Bank (EIB) Management Committee and formally ratified by the EIB Board of Directors who consequently approved €500 million in debt funding to the project subject to full due diligence. In the current economic climate the participation of the EIB in the project will assist in attracting other commercial banks

Dublin Airport

• Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport opened in November 2010 doubling its capacity for the next 20 to 30 years.
• The Government’s 2005 aviation action plan approved the construction of a second terminal at Dublin Airport.
• Terminal 2 will provide a necessary gateway for short haul and long haul traffic.
• Aer Lingus, American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta, Etihad Airways, US Airways will use Terminal 2
• The cost of the terminal projects is €609million.