Metro North – a key element for the Greater Dublin Area

Metro North is a key element in the creation of a fully integrated rail based public transport network for the Greater Dublin Area as envisaged in Transport 21 – the Irish Government’s multi-billion transport infrastructure investment programme. Metro North will avail of a range of interchange opportunities with light and heavy rail, bus services and park and ride facilities.

Metro North will connect the town of Swords in North County Dublin to Dublin City Centre. Using underground, surface and elevated tracks, Metro North will operate from St Stephen’s Green in the city centre, via Dublin Airport, to Belinstown, north of Swords. The selected route serves a number of key destinations including the airport, hospitals, universities, retail centres as well as residential and employment districts. Metro North will be 18km-long and an estimated 35 million passengers a year will travel on the service, with trains running every four minutes initially, increasing to every two minutes as the demand builds. The journey time from St Stephen’s Green to Dublin Airport will be in the region of 20 minutes. The journey time from St Stephen’s Green to Belinstown will be approximately 30 minutes.

Metro North will initially have 15 stops. These will be located at St Stephen’s Green, O’Connell Bridge, Parnell Square, Mater Hospital, Drumcondra, Griffith Avenue, Dublin City University, Ballymun, Northwood, Dardistown, Dublin Airport, Fosterstown, Swords, Seatown and Belinstown. Two additional stops at Estuary and Lissenhall north of Swords will be provided at a later date.

Metro North has on occasion been branded as an Airport Metro. Metro North is critical to the future expansion of Dublin Airport and to the success of the newly built second terminal at the airport and it is vital that Dublin, like every other major city in Europe, has a fast and reliable rail link to its international airport. However, the primary purpose of Metro North is to address a significant deficit in public transport infrastructure in north Dublin city and in the county of Fingal. Fingal is the fastest growing county in Ireland, with population growth of 26% between the 2002 and 2006 population censuses. This trend is set to continue as Fingal also has the youngest population in Ireland which will drive demand for more-and-more housing in the area in the coming years. As well as serving the town of Swords and the Airport, Metro North will serve key destinations such as the newly regenerated town of Ballymun, Dublin City University, Croke Park stadium and the Mater Hospital Campus, home of the planned National Paediatric Hospital.

Ireland’s ‘infrastructure gap’, has been recognised as a barrier to economic growth for many years. Transport 21, the Irish Government’s programme for investment in transport infrastructure from 2006–2015, was designed to address that gap. More difficult economic circumstances mean that not all of the projects set out in Transport 21 will be achieved in accordance with their original timetable. However, the Irish Government remains committed to Metro North as a key strategic priority, recognising the role that infrastructure will have in rebuilding the Irish economy. Globally, the need to improve infrastructure, particularly in the transport sector, is seen as a necessary condition for a return to successful economic growth. Metro North will help generate significant inward investment and development in the corridor it serves. Indecon International Economic Consultants forecast that the Metro North Economic Corridor will generate 37,000 additional jobs and more than double the existing level of economic activity and employment in the area.

Luas Line C1 to Docklands

Metro North will provide an important stimulus to the Irish economy and will provide much needed employment for construction industry workers who have suffered severely during the downturn. The project is expected to create at least 4,000 direct construction jobs and thousands more indirect jobs. The two consortia shortlisted to build Metro North include both Irish and international contractors and much of the work will involve local workers, contractors, and professional service firms. Other sectors of the regional economy are likely to benefit such as those in the construction material supply industry. There will also be secondary spin off impacts for the local economy from expenditure by the construction workforce.

Despite the recession, now is the time to invest in infrastructure. As Metro North is a public private partnership project (PPP), the private sector predominantly finances the construction of the project and this is repaid by the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) over a 25 year period from when passenger services commence. PPPs are particularly suited to the current economic environment in Ireland where there is pressure on direct levels of government borrowing. PPPs make projects affordable. Building now will also mean that Metro North benefits from more competitive construction prices.

Planning of the project is well advanced. In September 2008, the Railway Procurement Agency, the agency charged with the con – struction of Metro North, submitted its application for a Railway Order to An Bord Pleanála, Ireland’s planning authority. The oral hearing for this application commenced in April 2009 and concluded in March 2010. The RPA expects to have an enforceable Railway Order in place in the latter half of 2010.

The agency will then proceed to the final stage of the PPP procurement process. In June 2009, two bidding consortia were shortlisted to proceed to this final stage. The two bidders, who have mobilised teams of Irish and international metro designers and construction specialists to finalise their proposals for the final stage of the Metro North PPP procurement are Celtic Metro Group (Barclays Private Equity, Obrascon Huarte Lain, Mitsui, Soares da Costa, Iridium Concesiones de Infraestructuras S.A., CAF and MTR) and MetroExpress (Macquarie Capital, Global Via Infraestructuras, AIB Bank, Bombardier and Transdev RATP).

The RPA hopes to begin enabling works on the project (mainly the relocation of utilities and temporary removal of monuments) towards the end of 2010 and the first major tender package for the diversion of utilities in the city centre at St Stephen’s Green was released in May 2010.

Also in May 2010, the Board of the European Investment Bank approved a loan of up to €500 million for Metro North. This is an important signal of confidence in the project and Metro North is now well on track for delivery in 2016.

Other key elements of Transport 21

Real-time information system for Bus Éireann

Bus Éireann has recently launched a new website (www.whensmybus.ie) to promote its real-time information system, which enables customers to know exactly when buses will arrive and depart at stops across the county via the Web or text.

The new site allows customers to get up-to-the-second information on arrival and departure times of services across the country through an on-line display board.

They can also use the site to get the individual codes for bus stops throughout the country. Each stop has a unique code associated with it. This code can then be texted to a number to get up-to-the-second times of the next services to arrive at that stop.

The introduction of this website means that customers can get the most up-to-date arrival and departure times for their buses by PC or mobile before they go to their stop or while they are it.

The system uses Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) technology, which is under – pinned by Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, to track the movements of individual buses and then calculates how far the vehicle is from its next destination.

Bus Éireann is also currently working with Dublin City Council and Cork City Council on the introduction of real time passenger information displays at appropriate bus stops/shelters in Cork City and in the GDA. In the near future, the system will be linked to traffic light management systems so as to give priority to buses through traffic lights.

The system was funded under the National Development Plan and Transport 21, and from Bus Éireann’s own resources.

Bus Éireann has recently launched a new website to promote its real-time information system which enables customers to know exactly when buses will arrive and depart at stops

Integrated smart ticketing in the Greater Dublin Area

The integrated ticketing system in the Greater Dublin Area is being introduced on a phased basis, based on smart card technology, over the period to 2011. A progressive approach is being adopted to allow customers to familiarise themselves with using the new system and to permit transport operators to undertake the necessary replacement of magnetic strip technology, the testing of smart cards and the integration of the various technologies involved.

All the Luas network and Dublin Bus fleet have been fitted with smart card readers. At present, electronic ‘pay-as-you-go’ smart cards are available for Luas services. The integrated smart card will subsequently be rolled out to cover services provided by private bus operators, Irish Rail (DART and commuter rail) and Bus Éireann on a pilot basis following completion of the necessary development, testing and commissioning of their systems. Testing and roll-out for these service providers will commence in early 2011. The single smart card, with ePurse capability, will replace the interim smart cards throughout 2011.

Traffic management in the Greater Dublin Area

This provision will fund the implementation of a range of traffic management, bus priority and car restraint measures in the Greater Dublin Area. These include the construction of Quality Bus Corridors (QBCs), cycle paths, improved pedestrian facilities and traffic management support systems.

The bulk of the expenditure is earmarked for the delivery of QBCs designed to reduce the travel time for passengers, improve bus performance and improve the quality of the public transport experience.

Capital funding for traffic management measures in the Greater Dublin Area is provided through the DTO Traffic Management Grants, in support of its overall transportation strategy ‘A Platform for Change’.

A detailed Work Programme of extensions and improvements to the Quality Bus Network for the period 2008-2011 has been agreed and is being implemented. This Programme includes new and improved bus lanes, and also identifies pinch-points on the Network and appropriate corrective measures.

Metro West

Metro West is a key component of the Transport 21 framework. It will be an orbital Metro connecting Tallaght in the west of Dublin with Metro North near Dublin Airport. It is expected that in excess of 20 million passengers will use Metro West each year.

Metro West will run on the surface and the tracks will be separate from road traffic. It will cross road junctions in a similar manner to Luas, although bridges will be required at major roads, railways and other crossings. It will have up to 20 stops for passengers who want to make the journey between Tallaght East and Metropark, south of Dublin Airport.

Metro West will greatly enhance the connectivity of the whole rail based public transport network, interchanging with the Luas Red line, the Kildare and Maynooth suburban rail lines, Metro North and the new Luas lines to Citywest and Lucan.

The completion date will be subject to the relevant statutory process and the procurement and contract award processes; the start and completion dates of projects which have not yet commenced, including Metro West, will also be determined by the funding allocation available during the current difficult economic climate.

For the latest developments and news concerning the Transport 21 project, please visit www.transport21.ie.

About the Author

Noel Dempsey

Mr. Dempsey has been Minister for Transport since 2007 and has been actively involved with a number of organisations over the years prior to his current position. Mr. Dempsey believes that politics is about making a difference and his Public Service Record shows many positions including most recently Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources and also Minister for Education and Science. A full list of Mr. Dempsey’s achievements can be seen at www.noeldempsey.ie