Dublin's transport planners are finalising a blueprint for the development of a public transport system for the capital, including, it is understood, an underground metro line linking Spencer Dock with Heuston Station.
Although Mr John Henry, director of the Dublin Transportation Office, did not spell out the plan in detail in his evidence at An Bord Pleanala's Spencer Dock inquiry, he did say that what the DTO was finalising was "a public transport system for the next hundred years".
In response to questions from the appeal board's inspectors and from other parties at the inquiry, Mr Henry repeatedly stated that an overground rail link between Spencer Dock and a new DART station at Barrow Street, in the Grand Canal Docks, did not form part of the plan.
He said an underground station at Spencer Dock would have to be deep enough for the rail line to be carried beneath the River Liffey. "An overground option doesn't fit into the network we're developing, which includes buses, QBCs, Luas, DART and heavy rail."
It is understood that, under the DTO's plan, the proposed cross-river rail link - already identified as a strategic planning objective for the city - would be taken underground to Pearse Station, in Westland Row, rather than Barrow Street, and then on to Heuston.
As reported by The Irish Times last September, this line would have intermediate stations at St Stephen's Green as well as Dame Street, Wood Quay, Guinness's and Heuston, where it could link up with the existing line on the northside through the Phoenix Park tunnel.
In his evidence to An Bord Pleanala's inquiry into the massive development proposed for Spencer Dock, Mr Henry said it was now "dawning on people that continuing private car use for commuting is unsustainable" and that Dublin needed a public transport system.
He noted that the docklands area was being developed at higher densities, extending the city centre eastwards and "creating a demand for travel that didn't exist before". In the future, "we will be almost totally dependent on the public transport network being developed".
The DTO's aim was to create a public transport system that would permit "everyone in the built-up area to travel from any point in the city to any other point in the city by public transport", thereby giving them the same advantage as they might have by using a car.
The blueprint for such a system was currently being finalised, with a view to submission to the Government in mid-April. "A lot of significant infrastructure is involved and there will be a very big bill, but we have an opportunity to do it now," Mr Henry told the inquiry.
He said the DTO's plan, on which there was "a wide degree of consensus", took into account the various local authority development plans, as well as the Greater Dublin Area Strategic Planning Guidelines, published last April, and the Docklands area master plan.
According to Mr Henry, the plan would take seven to 10 years to implement, assuming it received Government approval. In the meantime, the only option for most commuters was to improve the city's bus services by introducing more QBCs.
Referring to Spencer Dock, he said there was only limited capacity on the road network and no significant linkages to public transport. The scheme under appeal, which would provide nearly 7,000 parking spaces, would encourage commuting by car and would be "unworkable".
Mr Henry also disputed the developers' contention that the proposed National Conference Centre would require a significant volume of parking space. Since the centre would attract a lot of business from abroad, he said large-scale parking was not essential.
"A car-based solution is no longer tenable," he declared. Like other major developments in the Dublin area, Spencer Dock required a mobility management plan, to be monitored and updated over time, and it was also critical that it would be well-served by public transport.
Apart from a heavy rail link, Mr Henry said a reservation "must be maintained" for a Docklands extension to the Luas light rail network, ideally running along Mayor Street from Connolly Station to the Point Depot. Otherwise, local streets would be "totally jammed".
"Failure to make good the public transport deficit should inhibit development until those facilities are provided. Otherwise, we are walking ourselves into an unsustainable future," he said, adding that he was pleased this had now been acknowledged by CIE.
Mr John Martin, deputy city planning officer of Dublin Corporation, said it "very much welcomes" indications from CIE that an overground rail link between Spencer Dock and Barrow Street had been ruled out. The corporation had always preferred an underground link.
Mr Martin said it was important that plans for an underground link, which are also being examined by CIE's strategic rail review, "should come out in the public domain and be approved and adopted by Government, because of its significant financial implications".
The economist, Mr Colm McCarthy, who is appearing on behalf of Mr Dermot Desmond, suggested it might not be accepted by the Government because of the likely cost and, therefore, the overground option "shouldn't be airbrushed off the map at this stage".