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THE MAN IN charge of the Dart Underground is convinced that the proposal will get over the line, however he admits construction won’t start this decade.
Peter Muldoon, the Dart Underground project manager, also says that building out the rail line would make it much easier to build high-rise developments in Dublin as it would dramatically improve the city centre’s transport network.
As previously examined by Fora, the Dart Underground scheme is a proposed railway line that would run under Dublin’s city centre and would link all rail, Dart and Luas services in the capital.
The 7.6km line would connect the northern track to Heuston Station and from there on to Kildare rail lines.
As well as the obvious benefits to Dublin, the Dart Underground would also be incredibly useful countrywide. It could potentially link lines across the country, such as Cork to Belfast.
Irish Rail started seriously working on the project in 2002, however it has been plagued by delays.
It was shelved during the recession due to its expense – the estimated cost is about €4 billion – however it is now back on the table and officials are looking at the way ahead for the project.
Nevertheless, Muldoon, who took over management of the scheme in 2008, says that it will likely several years before construction starts.
“If we start with the tunnel works, it will be about four and a half years (before) there will be a spade in the ground,” he tells Fora.
While that means no construction until next decade for a project many members of the public have lost hope in ever seeing built, Muldoon remains adamant the Dart Underground “will happen”.
“We have an aspiration to build the Dart expansion; it is on the city development plan, it is on the NTA strategy,” he says.
However, the project faces several hurdles it must overcome before work even begins.
Issues
For a start, the NTA is currently reviewing the Dart Underground, with Muldoon expecting the plan to be recommended with modifications in order to save money.
Following the review, which is expected to be finished around the new year, Irish Rail will have to apply to An Bord Pleanála for railway orders along the route.
A railway order will give the semi-state planning permission, as well as the power to issue compulsory purchase orders to acquire land or buildings.
People can object to the plan, and Muldoon say the project will likely require an oral hearing – a process it already cleared once in 2008.
At that stage, after two months of testimony, Irish Rail was granted a 10-year railway order for the project.
However, with that due to lapse and the initiative likely to be re-worked, the organisation will have to go through the whole process again.
Muldoon estimates that if everything goes according to plan, it will take at least 12 years before the project is completed. This means that it would be the other side of 2030 before passengers could use the new line.
Building
The project has faced more issues in the meantime. For example, a Maltese-registered company wants to build an office block on Pearse Street, where Irish Rail plans to build one of the main hub stations for the Dart Underground.
Despite this, Muldoon is confident Irish Rail can find a solution that will allow it to secure all the land it needs for the project.
“I can’t get into specifics on that one, because we are actually dealing with (the company) now. The Pearse one is a very important area,” he says.
“That’s not to say a developer can’t develop that area, but they have to talk to us so what they develop can safeguard what we will be doing.”
He adds: “We’ve been dealing with these for the last four or five years. We’ve never really had a problem, we’ve always reached accommodation with very little impact.
“There are very few areas (where there could be an issue) when we chose the route – we tried to confine it to land that was mostly owned by ourselves or in public ownership.”
According to Muldoon, the main problem the project still faces in reaching completion is money. Even scaled down, the project will cost billions of euro to build, and it would be a massive undertaking for the state.
“This is an affordability issue. For the people who know most about transport, this is what they want,” Muldoon says.
“The energy is there to drive this through. I will not retire for quite a long time. We’re not letting go. The NTA is very much in favour of it.
“We do accept that there is a cashflow issue, but we will be pushing this because I think it is essential; not only for the city, but for the country.”
Written by Paul O’Donoghue and posted on Fora.ie
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Why is he seeking legal advice..he got elected..move on, there are more pressing issues that he should be concerned about.
Pure rubbish story…. Happens regularly on Youtube….. This shows Heydon is a publicity hoor thats all
A video made by gombeens for gombeens, it won’t be missed.
“TD’s blatant copyright infringement forces removal of YouTube video.” That would be the headline had this been a Sinn Fein candidate. Hugh, you really are so wonderfully predictable..
What a wonderful victim you are #rosaforceisstronnginthisreturd..
Arrogant mullah pig thinking copyright laws don’t apply to him
The hubris, they think they’re in FF.
It was terrible anyway.
It was a complete rip off. Nothing slick about it either.
I think the slick was from the oil leaking out of the sump.
It should be blocked everywhere!..but its like the old kit kat ad..you cant sing, you cant dance, you cant act…you’re hired.
Is there such thing as a wildly popular election video?
Only in North Korea.
Fine gael get their policies from the past maby the need to look to the future
Good, the video does a diservice to the movie
Lighten up folks …….. the gaiety of the nation was mildly enhanced for a little while …….. where’s the harm.in that !?! Shure ain’t the Healy Raes ripping off at least two councillor characters from ‘Hall’s Pictorial Weekly’ and providing the closest thing to a Darby O’Gilll remake as we’ll ever see !?!
Embarrassed it cost €345 and for the people of south Kildare to be represented by this idiocy
Does anyone care? Show’s his value elected thanks to copying a film from the 80′s?
Absolutely shocking Bullshit!!!!
So many keyboard warriors criticising a quirky fun video. What have they done for Kildare?
I called it back when the video first came out. I’m surprised it took this long for Universal to get it pulled.
Someone from Universal should hold him down and take a dump in his mouth. He’d soon change his attitude to copyright then.
A miĺlion or so refugees or 70 odd million turks and europe chooses 70 million turks with visa free travel
It’s a bit of fun, I enjoyed it. A lot of people seem very concerned with copyright all of a sudden, I assume all of you above have never downloaded music or bought a dodgy dvd.
Perhaps some people have downloaded or bought dodgy stuff but not as a means to get them a € 92,000 + a year job. It was awful and unlawful. Thankfully it has been taken down so the tourism industry can breath a sigh of relief.
It didn’t cost €345 to make…he didn’t do his sums… He forgot to include prep time, personnel time, equipment, prop hire, insurance, rights – music, location, props, video platform costs, post production etc etc etc as well as the €60k pr… Tut tut …
As we’ve found out. Fine Gael arent very good with sums…. Anything over national school mathematics is beyond even their brightest seemingly… Michael Noonan
The video was as bad as Hayden is ,A two face party hack that topped the pole in Kildare South by doing nothing ,saying nothing and keeping the seat safe .The well off and of course the farmers came out to vote for their own while 45% of the electorate never voted ,Irish people get what the deserve , when the poorer and working class whinge and moan but would not bother their arse to vote ,
have your say