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A 2nd Round Of Public Consultation Has Begin On The Extension Of The DART To Kildare.

File image: RollingNews

The service will access commuters in Maynooth & Leixlip.

Iarnród Éireann begun the the second round of public consultation on DART+ West.

This willl see the electrified DART network extended from Connolly/Spencer Dock area to west of Maynooth and to M3 Parkway.

This is intended to serve commuters in Maynooth, Leixlip, Clonsilla, Coolmine, Castleknock, Navan Road, Ashtown, Broombridge and Drumcondra on the Maynooth line, as well as Hansfield, Dunboyne and M3 Parkway on the M3 Parkway line. 

This will be achieved through infrastructure works resulting in higher frequencies and electrification, and new trains, to increase passenger capacity by more than 160% on the route.

This current phase of public consultation follows on from previous public engagement which took place in autumn 2020.

The project team has analysed and used the feedback received to inform the current design of the DART+ West Preferred Option. Feedback on the Preferred Option is now invited during this period of public consultation.

Differences to the design being presented during this public consultation

  • The major change from the first to second round of public consultations is the removal from the design of the proposed vehicular bridge at Coolmine. The Coolmine vehicular bridge was by far the most commented aspect of first round of public consultations. The Preferred Option still requires the permanent closure of Coolmine level crossing to achieve the increased rail capacity to be delivered by the DART+ West project. The Preferred Option now being put forward will re-route the vehicles currently passing through Coolmine level crossing onto the existing road network, with traffic improvements to increase vehicle flows through key junctions. A new pedestrian and cyclist bridge will still be constructed at the site of the current level crossing.
  • A new station is proposed at Spencer Dock to improve connectivity with other transport modes and to bring commuters into the heart of the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC).
  • A new drop off layout at Ashtown, will minimise the impact on the green space at Martin Savage Park.
  • The locations for substations, construction compounds and other railway infrastructure is defined. This is presented as part of public consultation material.
  • Following more detailed railway modelling, the total number of services that can be accommodated will go from 6 to 12 trains per hour per direction throughout the day. This is a change from the information presented at the first round of public consultation. However, the capacity increase will remain similar due to the additional capacity of the new DART vehicles, increasing from current 5,000 to 13,200 passenger journeys per hour.
  • Other local issues raised during the first round of public consultations have been assessed and considered in the design development. Where possible the public feedback has been incorporated into the Preferred Option design.

The planned infrastructure improvements include:

  • 40Km of electrification and re-signalling of the Maynooth and M3 Parkway lines to the city centre.
  • A new station entrance and rail capacity enhancements at Connolly Station.
  • Construction of a new station at Spencer Dock with direct interchange with the Luas Red Line.
  • Closure of six level crossings & provision of replacements accesses for where required for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists, to ensure increased service frequency does not result in road congestion at level crossings or impact on connectivity within communities.
  • Construction of a new DART depot facility west of Maynooth Station, to maintain the new DART fleet.
  • All civil, bridge and ancillary works as necessary to accommodate the project.
  • New electric DART carriages for the DART+ Programme will be deployed on Maynooth / M3 Parkway services.

The consultation is available at www.dartplus.ie,

Once this design work is complete, a Railway order will be submitted to An Bord Pleanála in late 2021 or early 2022.

A statutory consultation period will take place after lodging of the application and it is expected that An Bord Pleanála will hold an oral hearing on the application, which will be open to all members of the public.

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