Oral hearings for Metrolink get underway

Oral hearings for the long-delayed Metrolink project have gotten underway, and An Bord Pleanála are hearing from both camps about the project.

Elected reps, such as Swords TD Duncan Smith and Green MEP Ciáran Cuffe, were effusive in laying out the need for the Metrolink while the hearings also heard from local residents and business owners who fear they will lose out should the project proceed in its current form.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland told the hearings that traffic congestion will cost Ireland €2 billion per year over the next decade if the Metrolink is not built. The proposed route will start at the Estuary station in Swords before taking in Seatown, Swords Central and Fosterstown before serving Dublin Airport itself.

Following on from Dublin Airport, the line will travel down to Northwood, Ballymun, Griffith Avenue, Glasnevin, the Mater and onto O’Connell Street before heading Southside.
It is estimated that the Metrolink will be able to carry 21,000 passengers per hour, helping significantly reduce congestion in Dublin.

MetroLink Project Director Aidan Foley said that in 2021 Dublin was ranked as the 35th most congested city in the world. Foley told the hearing that a single Dublin commuter will, on average, spend over 213 hours a year stuck in traffic, or just shy of 9 days.

Duncan Smith said that Government “procrastination” has only made traffic congestion problems in Dublin worse.

The Labour TD said “we cannot afford to delay any longer; Metrolink is a pro-climate, pro-economy, anti-congestion project which will be transformative for our city.”

He said that by building sustainable travel options, Metrolink would mark a significant quality of life change for people in North County Dublin.

With the lion’s share of the Metrolink running through his constituency, Smith said he was supportive of Metrolink being built.

“It’s time to bring Ireland’s transportation infrastructure into the 21st century,” he said.

“Our communities cannot afford further delays. Let this be the beginning of a new era of efficient, sustainable, and accessible transportation for Dublin.”

Green MEP Ciáran Cuffe said “MetroLink is a transformative piece of infrastructure for Dublin that will bring a major shift towards sustainable transport.”

“Every year. 1,500 deaths in Ireland are attributed to transport emissions, so what’s good for the health of the planet is also good for our own health.”

“This investment will be pioneering in cutting down congestion, reducing emissions and allowing people to easily travel across Dublin.”

However, submissions to An Bord Pleanála highlighted the potential impact on both homes and businesses.

Foley said he was conscious of residents who are concerned about a tunnel being constructed underneath their houses.

He stated that any damage that takes place to properties  – if any – will be cosmetic and not structural. An Bord Pleanála heard that the Smyths store in Swords is slated for demolition and that it would have a “significant impact on the young local population.”

Smyths said they have yet to find an alternative site for their store and on those grounds, the project should not proceed in its current form.

The TII acknowledged it is a “significant and regrettable impact” but Smyths are entitled to make a compensation claim.

The Mater hospital have also expressed concern about the works.

Acknowledging that they are broadly supportive of the project they have issues with the work potentially interrupting services for patients.

Their submission read “the relevant wing of the hospital that will be most impacted by TIl’s works is known as the Misericordiae wing, a protected structure. It is thus particularly sensitive to impacts from construction works.”

The Rotunda also expressed concern about the works impacting services provided by the hospital.

In both cases, the TII acknowledged there would be some form of disruption but they would go to great lengths, as well as consult with the hospitals, to make sure that service disruptions are kept to a bare minimum.

Fianna Fáil TD Jim O’Callaghan is the most vocal in opposition to the Metrolink as it stands, saying that the route should terminate on O’Connell Street as opposed to Charlemont.

Speaking to the Business Post, O’Callaghan said “if you look at any railway link around Britain or in America, generally they link and terminate in the city centre; even if this is viewed as something which is beyond an airport link, it should still finish in the city centre.”

He stated that the proposed route, as it stands, would cause “too much traffic chaos if the Metro was to come up at Stephens’ Green or Tara Street.”

Oral hearings for the Metrolink will continue until the end of March.