DUBLIN CITY CENTRE could soon be getting an underground DART line.
Irish Rail are back on track with their plans to develop the underground DART which could cost up to €2billion.
They’ve started issuing letters to 5,000 home and business owners about acquiring the land needed for the project under compulsory purchase orders.
The railway order was granted by the high court last month after being shelved since 2011.
Irish Rail say the underground line would be “the single most important piece of infrastructure in the state” and that it would promote a modal shift from private cars to public transport.
Cash needed
The construction of DART Underground will take approximately six to seven years and it will run from the Docklands to Inchicore.
The big question is when it will start and if the project will get the cash it needs.
The National Transport Authority told TheJournal.ie that the governments current capital spending programme extends until 2016 and that the subsequent programme will have to address the funding.
A spokesperson for the NTA added that:
The business cases for DART underground have proven the strategic value of the project for the Dublin region and the entire country.
Underground
It’s projected that the underground line would increase Greater Dublin’s rail service capacity from 33 million passenger journeys a year to 100 million.
The DART Underground tunnels will be approximately 7.6 Km in length and will connect the Northern and Kildare rail lines.
Here’s a video with all the info you need to know:
(IrishRail/YouTube)
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