MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT Leo Varadkar is to ask for a new look to be taken at whether a northbound Luas stop can be provided for on Dawson St.
The tram will journey down the street as part of the Luas Cross City project, which will be under construction for the next two years. The Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) spoke to the Dublin City Council (DCC) at its central area committee yesterday, where it said that under the current plans, commuters will only be able to get off or on heading in the southbound direction at the Dawson St stop.
However, the RPA added that Minister Varadkar has “asked for a fresh look to be taken” at the northbound platform.
A spokesman for the Department of Transport said:
Minister Varadkar shares the concerns of some traders about the lack of a proposed northbound stop on Dawson Street, and feels that the gap between stations at Trinity College and Stephen’s Green is too long. He would like to see the issue re-examined if possible.
The National Transport Authority called a meeting of Dawson St traders in April, at which Jacobs Engineering, their consultants, went through a number of different options for the northbound stop, a spokesperson told TheJournal.ie.
Due to the fact that there are a number of different laneways and streets off Dawson St in both directions, there are limits on where a Luas stop could be put.
Three different stops were narrowed down:
The traders were informed about the pros and cons of each site, and have come back with their feedback on this. The NTA is currently going through this feedback in anticipation of a meeting on the issue in June.
If the NTA receives support from traders, it will go back to An Bord Pleanála on the issue.
Location
The original railway order application for Luas Cross City envisaged a northbound and southbound stop on Dawson Street, the RPA said, but the railway order as made does not allow the northbound platform to be provided.
The southbound platform will be located on the east side of the street between Nassau Street and Dawson Lane, and will serve Trinity College as well as the surrounding area.
It is expected that there will be a quarter to one third extra passengers using the Luas thanks to the new route.
A spokesperson from the RPA told DCC they were “a bit surprised” at the original decision to turn down the plan for a northbound Luas stop. He said that there are questions of where the platform would be put, and that a re-examination of the issue by Minister Varadkar is “a great idea”. He also said that local Dawson St businesses support the idea.
He added that there “are technical solutions” and that he did not want it to end up that there is no platform for the northbound commuters. “If common sense prevails, I think it can be done,” he said.
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