DART Underground

DART Underground
The planned tunnel and its integration with other transport modes in Dublin City
Overview
Type	Rapid transit, Heavy rail
System	DART
Status	Deferred – Railway Order granted, but construction funding not committed[1]
Locale	Dublin city centre
Termini	Docklands Inchicore
Stations	6
Operation
Owner	CIÉ
Operator(s)	Iarnród Éireann
Rolling stock	DART EMUs
Technical
Line length	7.6 km
No. of tracks	2
Track gauge	1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) Irish gauge
Electrification	1500 V DC Overhead catenary
Operating speed	75 km/h (47 mph)
Route map To Balbriggan and Howth To Mullingar and Navan Drumcondra Dublin Connolly Docklands( Spencer Dock) Loopline Bridge Tara Street Dublin Pearse St Stephen's Green To Greystones and Gorey Christchurch Dublin Heuston Inchicore To Hazelhatch This route map: view talk edit

DART Underground (Irish: DART Faoi Thalamh), previously known as the Interconnector, is a planned railway tunnel in Ireland, projected to run under the city centre of Dublin. The tunnel would allow for the expansion of the electrified DART and the Dublin Suburban Rail network, and connect Heuston Station with Pearse Station. In November 2011 the government announced that the project would be deferred until 2016 at the earliest.^[2] A month later a Railway Order permitting the construction of the project was granted in December 2011 by An Bord Pleanala.^[1]

DART underground would provide an underground link between the existing Northeast DART line between Malahide/Howth and Clontarf Road and the Western Rail line between Heuston and Hazelhatch, with new underground stations at across Dublin's city centre at the Docklands, Pearse Station, St. Stephen's Green, Christchurch, and beneath Heuston Station. Despite this not being a very direct route, the decision by An Bord Pleanala specifically referred to a national policy requirement that the line be built through St. Stephen's Green. The project would also involve the construction of a new overground station at Inchicore.

Specifics [edit]

Dublin's existing DART line runs in a north-south along the Eastern seaboard from Malahide and Howth to the North of the city to Bray and Greystones to the south of the city in County Wicklow. The line passes through the city centre by means of an elevated loop line across the River Liffey between Connolly and Pearse stations passing the elevated Tara Street Station on the south bank of the river.

If DART Underground was completed, the present single-line DART would be replaced by two DART lines forming a rough X and intersecting at Pearse station. The first line would begin in to the north-east of the city in Howth/Malahide following the existing DART line to Clontarf Road but then diverging eastward into a tunnel and to a new underground station in the Docklands and then westward to a new underground station near Pearse Station, under St Stephen's Green (where it would interconnect with the proposed Metro North), Christchurch, and directly beneath Heuston Station. Emerging from the tunnel the line would then continue to a new overground station at Inchicore after which it would follow the existing Commuter line to Hazelhatch to the west of the city.

A second DART line would follow the existing southern DART line from Bray/Greystones to Connolly Station, from which it would diverge on the existing but un-electrified line from Connolly to Maynooth to the northwest of the city in County Kildare with a branch off the line at Clonsilla to Pace, County Meath.

Status [edit]

In May 2010, Iarnród Éireann anticipated that if construction had begun in 2012 the tunnel would have been operational by 2018.^[3]

On 30 June 2010, Iarnród Éireann submitted an application to An Bord Pleanála for a Railway Order for the scheme under the Transport (Railway Infrastructure) Act 2001. Under this Act, the Board charged with considering planning, environmental and property issues regarding proposed developments.

The November 2011, the government deferred funding the project due to capital spending cuts until 2016 at the earliest.^[2][4]

A month later in December 2011, in the Railway Order was granted for the development.^[5] The granting of the Railway Order permits both the construction of the scheme and any necessary compulsory acquisition of property. It does not however commit funding to the project.

According the Iarnród Éireann, the government has indicated that funding the project will be reconsidered in the next capital investment programme.^[1] Because this will not take place before 2015, the tunnel cannot however be completed by 2018 even if funding is approved in that next budgetary cycle.

Opposition [edit]

There is considerable opposition to the project in Dublin's East Wall area where the tunnel will begin and where tunnelling operations are planned to be located. People also complained that while they will have to endure the disturbance created by the tunnelling works, they will not gain anything from the project as they will not have easy access to a DART station since they are roughly halfway between the existing Clontarf Road station and the proposed Docklands station. Iarnrod Eireann responded, claiming that they can use Clontarf Road Station.^[6]

See also [edit]

• Dublin Area Rapid Transit
• Rail transport in Ireland
• Transport 21

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• Project website