West Dublin to get Dart, Luas, Metro

A Dart station within walking distance of Ballyfermot Village could be part of the planned public transport for west Dublin, the Ballyfermot Post has learnt.

Irish Rail is looking at the possibility of creating a new station where the Kylemore Road passes the Kildare to Heuston railway line. The location is just over ten minutes walk from Ballyfermot Village.
It is even closer to the back of the media building at Ballyfermot College of Further Education, although the back gates are currently locked.

“I’ve talked to Irish Rail and they are considering building a train station near the Kylemore Road Luas stop,” David King, the project manager for the Lucan Luas told this newspaper. “This will not happen until the Kildare route is finished”.

If the station goes ahead it will fall under the expansion of the Dart network to the Kildare and Maynooth lines. It would offer transport users in Ballyfermot a fast rail link into the centre of Dublin and direct connections to all rail transport in the city.

The current Northern Dart line will bypass Connolly Station and continue on underground at the Docklands. Once past Heuston Station, it will resurface again and  connect with the Kildare line. The underground stations will include stops at the Docklands, Pearse Street, the proposed transport hub at St Stephen’s Green, Christ Church, and Heuston Station. The areas of Adamstown, Clondalkin, and Park West will be among other places to benefit.

Meanwhile the current Southern Dart line will be linked with the Maynooth line. The expanded Dart network will have lines crossing the city in an x-shape.

More Darts

Unlike the Southern-Maynooth line, the new Northern-Kildare section will be separated from traffic. With no crossings, it will offer the potential for more Darts per minute than can be offered on the current system.

The Dart Underground, or ‘interconnector’, could be considered as the backbone of an integrated public transport system for Dublin. The plans should vastly improve the rail services in the west and north-west of the city, the south inner-city, the Docklands, and the current Northern Dart line.

By the time of its completion the Dart network should connect the three Luas lines, Metro North, Metro West, the two main inter-city stations, and bus services.

The ‘four-tracking’ upgrade of the Kildare line, which will allow for a separation of city and intercity services, is currently under construction. Meanwhile the Dart Underground project is at an advanced stage of planning.

The Dart project is just part of the wide scale proposed increase in public transport for west Dublin. Other projects at this stage include Metro West, as well as Luas lines and extensions.

Metro West will link the areas of Tallaght, Clondalkin, and Blanchardstown. It should meet the Luas Lucan at Liffey Valley, and have connections to Irish Rail’s Kildare and Maynooth heavy railways.

The metro line, which will be similar to the Luas, will start near the airport and go to Tallaght. According to the Railway Procurement Agency, Metro West is expected to exceed the 20 million passengers mark each year and is estimated to be built by 2014.

Transfers to the railways will provide a link to the city centre, while a transfer to Metro North will allow access to the airport and Swords without the need to enter the city.

The projects are being set up within the Transport 21 plan, which was put in place by the government in 2005. It will see a capital investment spend in Ireland’s transport system to the tune of €34 billion.

- Chris Blake and Cian Ginty

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