An ambitious plan for the future of Luas in Dublin would see development of two new circular lines that would run on the outskirts of the city centre.
The Luas 2050 vision would also include new lines to Blanchardstown, Clondalkin, Balgriffin and Clongriffin, as well as the two new circle lines, and an orbital route outside the M50 motorway.
An internal presentation from Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) said that light rail would be a key part of public transport in the capital for the future and plans for new lines should be accelerated.
However, it highlighted issues with the existing network with one line already running “at or over capacity”.
The slideshow said there were not enough trams on the Red Line which connects Dublin’s Docklands to Tallaght and Saggart.
It said there were constraints to increasing services and managing future demand but that there may now be an “appetite to address” some of the challenges given the success of the Luas network.
TII said longer 55-metre trams might not be a solution because they were slower and because so much of the Red Line was shared with cars including busy junctions.
It said this created possible safety issues and that more trams were needed rather than longer vehicles.
The presentation said the capacity of the Green Line, which runs from Broombridge to Sandyford and Bride’s Glen was “ok for [the] short term.”
It said some changes and increases in service were possible and that this could be accommodated with the existing fleet of trams.
TII said there were also issues around depots with the main facility at Sandyford “land constrained” and not suitable for expansion.
The presentation said there was room at Broombridge for an increase in size but that this was not ideal “for operational reasons.”
It said an option around land acquisition and possible expansion at the Red Cow could also be looked at in the future.
The slideshow also put forward the possibility of numerous added lines including an ambitious plan for circle routes over the next 25 years.
One of the suggested “circular” lines would run from Finglas past DCU, through Drumcondra, along Griffith Avenue, and onwards to Marino and Fairview.
It said that in the immediate short term, work should continue on a Luas extension to Poolbeg as well as studies on the efficiency and flexibility of the existing Red and Green Lines.
The slideshow suggested a “new Luas project” should be examined, with one possibility a connection to UCD.
It also recommended moving forward with an extension to Bray with an indicative start date of between 2028 and 2030.
The document said workshops on accelerating project delivery would be useful to help speed up development of new projects.
“Initial findings are that barriers [and] delays are outside the control [and] remit of the project team,” it said.
The presentation said from 2029 onwards, they should be looking at starting work on a new Luas line every one to two years to have an advanced network by 2050.
Asked about the records, a spokesman for TII said: ” The Luas is a critical piece of public transportation infrastructure”.
“Transport Infrastructure Ireland taking a strategic look ahead to 2050 allows for the public and decision-making bodies such as the Department of Transport and National Transport Authority to see where potential investments can be made to support the country’s future growth and development,” he added.
Reporting by Ken Foxe
