AN BORD PLEANÁLA has granted planning permission for the construction of the DART Underground but the project was recently shelved by the government.
Iarnród Éireann has welcomed the decision of the planning board to grant a Railway Order – the equivalent of planning permission – but acknowledged the project, which would run from Dublin’s Docklands to Inchicore, will not be going ahead in the foreseeable future.
The government announced last month as part of its capital spending plans that along with Metro North, the DART Underground proposal had been shelved for the time being.
The project will be revisited in 2015 for the next capital investment programme.
Iarnród Éireann says that the grating of permission today paves the way for the line to be built if and when the government decides to fund it.
The rail operator believes it would increase the capacity of the Greater Dublin area’s rail service from 30 million passenger journeys annually to 100 million.
The DART Underground would run from Dublin’s Docklands to Inchicore and proposes to connect all rail systems that run through the capital including the DART, Commuter, Intercity, and Luas services as well as the proposed Metro North, which also shelved by the government.
It is proposed that trains on the northern line would bypass Connolly Station and run through the Docklands and on to Stephen’s Green going as far as Hazelhatch and Celbridge in Co Kildare.
This promotional video explains more about the project:
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