Full services have continued on the Luas Red Line after being out of commission since late August, and now a local Fine Gael TD said that the closure has underpinned why the Red Line should be expanded.
Dublin Bay South TD James Geohegan was speaking after services between Connolly and The Point were re-opened in late November, and said that the Red Line should be extended to serve Ringsend, Irishtown, and the planned new development at the site of a former glass bottle site.
Geoghegan said, “we’ve seen the negative effects of a small portion of the Red Line being shut down. While Dublin Bus has thankfully provided an interim service, traffic has been heavy, and for many, commute times are much longer.”
Pointing to the development of the planned high-density housing scheme in Poolbeg West, Geoghegan said that Dublin can ill-afford 10,000 more cars on the road, and said that expanding the Luas to serve the community was a necessity.
“There will be tens of thousands of new people travelling to and from the area each day, with only buses and cars to serve their needs on roads that are already at capacity; we need joined-up and long-term thinking when it comes to the delivery of housing and infrastructure,” he said.
“This is about more than a specific project. We need to see public transport infrastructure which matches the density of housing that will be delivered in Dublin over the next five to ten years.
The Fine Gael TD pointed to November’s approval by Cabinet, which will see Luas Green Line services extend all the way to Finglas on the Northside.
Now, Geoghegan argues, is the time for the government to show momentum.
“A report from the Department of Transport, shows that the economic cost of congestion in the Greater Dublin Area is set to increase four-fold, from an estimated €336 million in 2022 to over €1.5 billion by 2040,” he noted, saying that the argument is more than a quality of life one; it is an economic one.
“The Glass Bottle site project is due to happen by 2042 at the latest. The area’s population is already growing quickly, and the Glass Bottle Site will add a population the size of Longford Town to Poolbeg. We need to see the red line extended before this happens,” he said.