Metro Link one of the largest investment projects ever proposed in the State

Plans for the revamped Dublin Metro may go on public display as early as March, according to Minister for Transport Shane Ross

Metro Link was one of the biggest announcements to come out of Project Ireland 2040-National Development Plan 2018-2027, unveiled in Sligo last week and with a price tag of €3 billion, it is also one of the largest investment projects ever proposed in the State.

Stops along the line will include Mater hospital, Whitworth, Griffith Park West, DCU, Ballymun village, Dublin Airport and Swords. Out of the 17km route, 13 km will be below ground.

The original plans for Metro North saw the underground rail run from Swords to the city centre. This remains the case in the revised plan but in the new proposal it will run above ground, along the current Luas route, from Charlemont to Sandyford too. Luas will remain in place from Sandyford to Brides Glen. The Luas line from Charlemont to Sandyford will be adjusted to accommodate Metro trains.

Concerns have been raised that Metro construction works could have a detrimental effect on city centre trade, similar to that seen during the building of Luas Cross City. Donal O'Keefe, chief executive of the Licensed Vinters Association is calling for the works to be carried out in a condensed timeframe, to ensure that disruption is kept to a minimum.

“We would like it to be planned and organised in a way that minimises the impact on businesses. We have seen with the construction of Luas a lot of inconvenience, disruption and loss of business to publicans along the route. We would be encouraging them to plan it in such a way as they are working to a very condensed timeframe, working 24 hours a day to get the job done. Clearly we need something like this in the city and it is good for the city but it is a huge challenge for businesses along the route,” he said.

However with 13km of the line below ground, Minister Ross envisages less disruption to the city this time.

Disruption

“There is always some disruption but most of the building will be below ground. There will probably be some problems in St Stephen’s Green but it won’t be like the Luas, going down Dawson St disrupting buses and traffic. You can run a Metro so much more efficiently, and the NTA have predicted we are going to need much more capacity towards Sandyford into the future, so this is very exciting and ambitious,” he said.

The plans have been welcomed by Dublin Town, who said the future success of Dublin, both economically and socially, is dependent on the right decisions being made along with appropriate infrastructure investment.

“A metro can carry 20,000 passengers per direction per hour and this capacity is sorely needed in Dublin. The simple reality is that we are currently trying to provide too much transport above ground. Each day almost 300,000 people come into Dublin city centre, giving rise to approximately 450,000 pedestrian movements within the core city centre area. This grows to over 600,000 during the Christmas period.

This will be a game changer for Fingal as the new metro system will allow for the sustainable growth of Swords in accordance with our development plan

“Economic and population growth will add to these numbers. There is simply insufficient space above ground to accommodate these movements unless we knock down buildings and nobody in their right mind would suggest that,” Richard Guiney, chief executive of Dublin Town said.

Dublin Fingal TD Alan Farrell predicts an intensification of development along the proposed route.

"That always comes with transport nodes. I don't see it being any different along Metro. Proximity to a station will mean slightly higher densities. With Metro will come significant rates for Fingal County Council, which means they can in turn deliver the social infrastructure that's needed along that corridor and facilitate developments in north Swords. There is a lot of potential for Swords to grow. There is also plenty of land between Ballymun and the M50 to fill in; St Margaret's can and probably will be developed as a result of its relative proximity to Metro," he said.

Infrastructure

A north-bound metro system is the most crucial piece of infrastructure needed in Ireland because it links the airport with Dublin city centre, chief executive of Fingal County Council, Paul Reid said.

“This will be a game changer for Fingal as the new metro system will allow for the sustainable growth of Swords in accordance with our development plan. I am also pleased that the National Planning Framework specifically recognises the future development potential of Swords” said Mr Reid.

Metro Link is part of an integrated plan for public transport in Dublin that includes DART, Luas and Bus Connect. The long-term plan is to get people out of their cars, and on to comfortable, fast public transport.

“The traffic situation is chronic, so this is badly needed,” Ross says.

Transdev, the company that currently operates the Luas line, can bid for the Metro contract when it is put out to tender. They are currently in the middle of a five-year contract with Luas.

Metro Link effect

Properties along the newly-proposed Metro Link could benefit from a DART or Luas effect, effectively adding thousands of euros to homes along the route, with areas like Ballymun and Santry set to be the big winners.

Paul Lappin, director of Lappin Estates in Phibsborough, says that house prices in Cabra “got a bump overnight” when the Luas came into the area.

“I would expect the same along Metro; where there’s a station it will open that area up for development and I would suggest that areas like Ballymun, where prices are still quite low, will suddenly be a lot more attractive.

“I would envisage the Metro running through Ballymun and Santry and people who would not have considered these areas before will now consider them. They didn’t look at Cabra before Luas. There are a lot of brownfield sites along that route and there is a bit of development happening already, for example apartments are being built just after Santry Avenue in Ballymun. There is a lot of development potential out that way,” he says.

The new Metro will also ease traffic congestion, making a move to those areas even more attractive.

“It will make it a lot easier for workers. Travel times over the last few years have gone up so anything that takes some of that traffic and congestion away from Phibsborough, Glasnevin, through to Ballymun and Santry will be welcomed. Phibsborough is a bottle neck. It will make people look out a little bit further. I see it now, people won’t rent a property that’s too far from a cycle station, for example, so people want access to good public transport.

“Even with Ballymun’s proximity to town, it has never really taken off, whereas parts of Finglas have. Once the infrastructure is there I believe this will happen there too.”

Stephen Day, divisional director at Lisney says there could also be a substantial rise in Southside house prices too, up to 15 per cent.

“There might be a slight correction downwards due to concerns of disruption during any kind of building works but in the long term it will most definitely add value,” he said.