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TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR has called for an alternative route to be found for the Metrolink to avoid it running under the grounds of a GAA club, a football club and schools in north Dublin.
The route for the €3 billion rail system was unveiled in March which showed that Na Fianna GLG and Home Farm FC’s pitches on Mobhi Road in Glasnevin are set to be the site of a new underground station on the route.
Under the proposals, Na Fianna GLG will lose the use of the main Mobhi Road pitch for potentially six years or more.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) have also proposed to establish a tunnel boring machine launch site (used as a home for equipment for the project), which will share its perimeter with Scoil Mobhí in Glasnevin. The school shares its site with Na Fianna GLG, Scoil Chaitríona, and playschool Tír na nÓg.
The proposed site is to run the full length of the schoolyard and will be some five metres from inside the junior infants classroom, according to the school’s principal.
Members of the sporting clubs and schools have repeatedly raised concerns over the proposed plans in recent weeks.
Last week, representatives of the schools and clubs, along with members of the NTA and TII, appeared before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport to discuss the proposed Metrolink plans.
Speaking in the Dáil this afternoon, Varadkar also shared concerns about the current proposed route.
“In relation to the specific issues that deputies have raised in relation to Na Fianna, and Scoil Caitriona and Home Farm as well, it affects them too, I have to say I am very concerned and I share the concerns of leaders and other deputies about this particular Emerging Preferred Route,” Varadkar said.
I think it would do enormous damage to Na Fianna, to Home Farm as well, and also to Scoil Chaitriona.
“Certainly, my message to the National Transport Authority and the TII is to find an alternative option to digging up this really important club which is the heart and soul of the community and that part of Dublin,” he said.
Reacting to Varadkar’s comments this evening, Marcella Nic Niallaigh, principal of Scoil Mobhí said: “We are very grateful to the Taoiseach for his supportive comments and for the support for Scoil Mobhí from across the political spectrum.
“Scoil Mobhí has raised its concerns with the NTA and TII. In our view, it would involve unacceptable health, safety and educational risks to children at the school.
It would tear apart a unique Gaelcheantar, which has been 60 years in the making. That this proposal should have been brought forward in Bliain na Gaeilge is heartbreaking.
Nic Niallaigh added that the proposed route is causing “immediate harm to the school as parents are concerned by the uncertainty the proposal created”.
“We sincerely hope that the NTA and TII are listening and recognise that for the schools, this is an urgent issue,” she said.
Public consultation
Over the last year, TII, in partnership with the NTA, identified an Emerging Preferred Route (EPR) for the MetroLink project. The EPR was identified as the route option which performs among the best in terms of public transport demand, integration with the wider public transport system and economic return.
Last week, Michael Nolan, chief executive of TII addressed the committee to outline a public consultation process, which is currently underway in relation to the Metrolink proposals.
In a statement to TheJournal.ie in relation to Varadkar’s comments, an NTA spokesperson said: “The consultation process around the Metrolink Emerging Preferred Route will continue until 11 May.
“We are happy to consider all submissions and proposals that we receive and we have made a commitment to report back as soon as practicable after that date.”
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Not in my back yard says pascal.
@Micheal Anthony Moran: Lots of good people are dying because of our terrible disgraceful health system and this mock government want to build things the country can not afford.
@Michael Maher: Throwing money at the health system doesn’t work. You can’t halt all infrastructure projects because of the state of the health system, in that case nothing would ever be built.
@Michael Maher: It’s a distraction! Media control, simple
@Michael Maher: we need this transport system AND we need health system improvements. People’s lives are shortened by commutes and traffic emissions too.
I’m delighted that the gov are addressing these issues in foot of pressure from some great societies and groups on the route. But we absolutely need Metro North. We needed it 30 years ago
@Michael Maher: Are you saying that all public resources should go to health and we give up on all infrastructural improvements for the country including badly needed public transport?
Not even the health lobby argues for this..
@Martin Byrne: we actually don’t need this infrastructure, it’s a headline grabbing gimmick and the least effective use of public money …..but hey that’s what the people want
@Ciaran O’Mara: There has been thousands of people left on trolleys in hospitals and people are dying because of lack of investment in the health system. Your health is your wealth , and by the way there is more important upgrade needed on our country roads than a wasteful Metro for Dublin.
Leo getting involved or not involved in planning again.
@Irish Bob: I know, it’s ridiculous to think the leader of our government might be involved in government planning.
@Pat Bateman: ask him when it goes pear shaped he’ll say he had nothing to do with it
@Pat Bateman: Well Pat, if he has to interject now then and change plans that had been already been made, then he didnt do enough before hand then did he.
But you continue the Leo is unfalible spin, he need is more than ever now with his pet Propagand Unit being put out to pasture, if he had any ethics hw would join them
Getting mothballed before it even begins ,or will they spend millions on consultants over the next few years before they completely shelve it
@Aidan Martin: if we’re lucky that’ll happen even wasting a few million will save billions in the long run
Seems like a easy solution, the 2015 route was neasrly identical to this route (on the north side) apart from this strange deviation. Run it through Drumcondra and have the tunnel work on DCU land south of the campus and you minimise the impact.
@John Martyn: I’d agree with the tunnel work being in DCU. The point with the station at Cross Guns is that is fairly straightforward to build a station to interchange the metro with what will be two Dart Lines. There will be Darts coming from the Kildare line using the Phoenix Park Tunnel, as well as Darts on the Maynooth line.
@Id Unno: but there already is a DART station in Drumcondra?
@John Martyn: it’s the Mayooth line ,it’s not a Dart line, it was called the Arrow line ,there is a plan now for electrification of the Kildare line,the original Bertie Metro had a station in the old ,sacred heart home for girls,which is next to the Kildare line station in Drumcondra
@John Martyn: That’s only one line. There isn’t a Dart service there yet, there will be post Dart Expansion program. Having the Metro Station at Cross Guns means it can connect with two Dart Lines (the two lines are quite close there).
@Id Unno: Do you mean LUAS there is no DART line near Cross Guns Bridge,and it’s a fair hike from the bridge to the nearest LUAS stop
@Robert Harris: As part of Dart Expansion Programme, Maynooth and Kildare lines will be electrified. Kildare trains will use the Phoenix Park Tunne, with new stops called Heuston West, and a station near Fassaugh and Cabra Avel. Some trains will head to Docklands, others towards Pearse etc. If you look at Google Maps you will see there are two heavy rail lines near Cross Guns, (Des Kelly Carpets). That is where the planned Dart/Metro Interchange station will be.
This is an irresponsible (and intellectually-inconsistent with his goal of seeing MetroLink finally built) comment from Leo Varadkar which, pandering to nimbyism, only risks delaying an already tragically delayed vital piece of national infrastructure, yet further.
@J. Reid: runs from Dublin to cork then does it. National my A hole. Vital? Has someone died because there isn’t a metro. Most of the clowns on this app praise Michael o’leary and even he thinks it’s a waste of money
@Anthony Whelan: Michael o’leary thinks everything that doesn’t make him money is a waste of money.
@Ronan Fahy: he wasn’t talking money profit wise he was talking the airport has already sufficient transport to airport and surrounding area. All it needs is proper policed bus lanes not broken lanes so buses taxis get to airport hassle free. Proper bus lanes city centre to airport less than 20mins.
@Anthony Whelan: Metro isn’t just for the airport.
@Anthony Whelan: it runs to the airport
LOL!
Fine Gael running scared of the GAA.
If Jackie Healy Rae argued along similar lines he’d be ridiculed to the rafters.
Dublin may be a city but parish pump politics is still alive and kicking even in the capital.
Lets get to the bottom of the smear tests first Leo. Stop trying to deflect.
@Brian harris: deflect? The government is not there to do one task at a time
@Darren Norris: with respect they’re not even capable of one task at a time
All be sorted with a phone call….
Build upwards not outwards!
Here we go, delay number 1……
@Do the Bort man: +4 years
NA Fianna disrupted for 6 years???? What do they think they’re building the Chanel Tunnel it’s a bloody basement box with a single story building on top plus escalator. 18 months should be sufficient.
And while i’m at it the Northwood station is behind the retail park as far away as possible from the residential end of Northwood. There’s 70 acres of park to build their underground station….??
You couldn’t make this dung up.
@Gareth Cooney: it’s not just for a station, they want to run the project from there.
The tunnel machines would start at that point.
Presumably the point was that they pick a point in the middle and set a TBM going in each direction from that point to reduce the time taken for the entire tunnel dig.
It means all the spoil/earth they dig out will have to be removed in dump trucks from that point I guess.
That was my understanding anyhow.
@Gareth Cooney: I live in Northwood. I read the report on this – a station at the east side of Northwood would only serve about 4k people a day, while the current planned location could serve about 10k.
@Tom: if you drop a TBM in the centre of the line (Na Fianna) you have to crane it out and reassemble it to complete the line.
@Id Unno: I also know Northwood very well and those figures you have mentioned do not add up whatsoever. Where can I find this report?
@Gareth Cooney: Metrolink site – It has it in the main report (extract below)
16 Northwood East Broad area on Northwood Avenue including adjacent
parts of Santry Park.
4,250 Santry Park
Santry Sports Stadium
Northwood Estate
17 Northwood Central Broad area to the north of Northwood Avenue in zoned
land (currently open space).
9,500 Gulliver’s Retail Park
Northwood Estate
18 Northwood West Broad area to the west of Northwood between
Ballymun Road and the R108.
10,750 Gulliver’s Retail Park
Northwood Estate
@Id Unno: BTW the Northwood East location would be much more convenient for me (2 mins walk)
It’s an outdated white elephant that
Is not going to solve Ireland’s 21st century transport needs and it’s going to cost taxpayer’s Billions https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/state-to-pay-toll-operators-48m-in-traffic-guarantees-1.2473160?mode=amp
Dig deeper you lot, there’s gold in the pockets.
Always something to stop a major opportunity in this country and have us all backward in most other European countries. One day if still in charge you will pass on the metro coming from the airport on a friends outing and see it was the right choice or perhaps a wonderful Goal too.
I’m sure the guys on the pitch would be cheering it to be build with a lot more support in latter years.
@Michael Butler: such drivel.
Who are you speaking/calling/dropping hints for now Leo?
Perhaps the reason why mobai road is considered is its department of defence owned
@nelly: all the land that Na Fianna, Home Farm, (Old Dept of Defence building is now a CDVEC school), a primary and Secondary school and preschool all this land/buildings the lease is held by the OPW. Also bear in mind when the Mater Hospital was been modernised someone had the foresight to build an underground station but the new route doesn’t use that now – clowns.
@Austin Rock: Didn’t know about that,
€30million basement
http://www.byrnelooby.com/projects/arklow-water-supply-scheme/mater-box-dublin
At least it wasn’t more expensive.
But it does explain the giant glass atrium at the mater which is now surplus to requirement as most people would probably enter the hospital at the other end from the replanned station.
So taking that into account it’s probably a lot more wasted effort.
@Austin Rock: are you sure about that? I looked at the Metro North map again and there is a stop at the Mater. Are you saying they are going to build a stop beside the underground stop already created?
@Sean: The stop at the Mater is now to be located under a park beside St Joseph’s church.
At corner of Berkley Rd and Eccles St.
It will mean digging up the park.
Also, if they originally planned the station in the Mater itself then it could need 24hr access presuming the metro would run late night service and possibly Drunk revellers traipsing through the hospital lobby.
Parish Pump Politics
This annoys the sh*%e out of me; this is just Leo jumping on the bandwagon. Petty local politics can’t be allowed to scupper this major piece of transport infrastructure, something that Dublin badly needs. It’s unfortunate that Na Fianna and Home Farm will be discommoded but it be for the greater good and they will be well compensated.
I wish Leo would engage more with Richard Bruton over the sale of playing pitches by Christian Brothers.
Pitches are being forcibly sold by the Christian Brothers as part of the redress board scheme.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/clonkeen-college-pitches-dispute-to-resume-after-easter-1.3442085
@Donal O’Carroll: and? It’s about time those sick pigs started selling their vast land to pay what they owe the victims of their crimes. This country isn’t short of recreational land.
Diversionary stuff from Varadkar, SCU still pumping out stuff to deflect and show us eejits he’s a man of the people. Prepare yourself for more populist drivel over the next weeks to reinforce he’s truly “concerned”, for the public he serves, and that he’s on top of and in control.
Dig deeper you lot, there’s gold in them pockets and make the right choice and someday you will be on that metro and saying….
Well that was the right goal il led the country in.
Na Fianna is not the heart and soul of Glasnevin/Drumcondra.
Its nimbyism in case some fellas lose their seats in the next election..
have your say