Sir, – Frank McDonald rails against a proposal for Dublin which doesn’t chime with his own vision for the city (“MetroLink will lay waste to chunks of the city centre but won’t integrate city transportation”, Opinion & Analysis, January 7th). This time his ire is directed toward MetroLink, a piece of infrastructure that would provide a high-capacity public transport link between the city centre and Swords via Dublin Airport and that many, including myself, would like to see delivered.
Frank McDonald claims that the proposal “is yet another example of the absence of joined-up thinking on transport in Dublin – a stand-alone project that doesn’t make coherent sense on its own and would need to be extended southwards in order to do so”. While ignoring the benefits of having a fast, segregated public transport link between the city centre and Dublin airport, your writer overlooks that the proposed MetroLink route would in fact help integrate existing public transport services across multiple locations in Dublin city. A new interchange with the heavy-rail network at Glasnevin is included in the proposal, while Luas and numerous bus services would be easily accessible from the proposed station on O’Connell Street and other city centre stations.
While it can certainly be argued that the proposed MetroLink route could have been further optimised, it is unfair to say the MetroLink proposal is incoherent and will provide no meaningful benefits in terms of transport integration within Dublin city.
Perhaps Frank McDonald would be so kind as to provide a follow-up piece which outlines his preferred approach for connecting Dublin Airport with a high-capacity, segregated public transport service with a specific route that mitigates against negative impacts on existing housing, public greenspace and buildings of interest? – Yours, etc,
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MARK CONNOLLY,
Dublin 15.
Sir, – Frank McDonald notes what MetroLink is not connected to, but omits to mention what it connects.
MetroLink connects Dublin city with Swords, a growing town of over 40,000 residents.
MetroLink connects Dublin city with its airport, the only major European capital city not to have a rail link to its airport.
MetroLink connects with the Red and Green Luas lines at O’Connell Street.
MetroLink connects with the Dart, and northern and south eastern commuter rail at Tara.
But Frank McDonald, like many other opponents of MetroLink, only believes in MetroLink if it connects with the southside.
But Dublin is more than the leafy southside and its Dortspeak residents.
The city and county has a population of 1.5 million, and all its residents are entitled to have a Metro. – Yours, etc,
JASON FITZHARRIS,
Swords,
Co Dublin.