A NORTH DUBLIN GAA club will no longer lose the use of a pitch after changes to the proposed Metrolink project were confirmed today.

The preferred route for the 19 kilometre underground metro had planned to use the Mobhi Road home of Na Fianna CLG as a new underground station and depot.

The club had said that it may lose the use of its pitch for between three to six years but as a result of changes announced today this will not happen. 

The National Transport Authority (NTA) and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) said today this was as a result of a decision to use a single bore rather than a twin bore tunnel.

Local soccer club Home Farm FC will see some of its facilities affected, however, but the NTA and TII says the disruption will be for a lesser period than was previously planned. 

“In consultation with Home Farm FC, we now propose to construct a more compact station under their pitch. The pitch will be unavailable during the estimated three-year construction process but will be fully restored afterwards. There will be no impact on CLG Na Fianna pitches,” the transport chiefs said today. 

The NTA and TII said this decision to make the changes were made in consultation with various stakeholders and that having no station at all in the vicinity had been considered.

This option was discounted, with the planners saying that the Griffith Park location offered “a great location for a metro station” owing to the “three schools and sports facilities nearby”.

Plans for the Griffith Park Station. NTA NTA

The NTA also delivered confirmation this afternoon that Metrolink will terminate at the Charlemont Luas stop in Dublin’s south inner city. 

Initial plans for the project had envisaged that the metro line would run further south to Sandyford. 

Other changes to the plans announced this afternoon include that the number of homes to be acquired for the project has gone down from 105 to 85. 

The NTA said this includes an apartment building housing 40 people near Glasnevin Station which will no longer for acquired for the project.

The plans also lay out a proposal for an “integrated station” on O’Connell Street at the site of the old Carlton cinema.