A new almost 4km extension of Dublin’s Luas tram network has moved a step closer to being achieved with the news that Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) will be submitting a Railway Order (planning) application to An Bord Pleanala.
The Luas Finglas extension would extend Luas northwards from Broombridge to the Finglas area. There would be new stops at St Helena’s, Finglas Village, St Margaret’s Road and Charlestown near the M50. It would provide interchanges with Broombridge railway station which is on the planned DART+ West line as well as various bus services.
This is just one of four tram extensions which were identified in the National Transport Authority’s (NTA) Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area 2022-2042. If accelerated this line could be running by 2031, if planning and funding is in place.
The route will be mostly off-road and segregated from road traffic. It will shorten journey times to and from Dublin City Centre to approximately 30 minutes and below and also provide connections to other destinations. The project would support increased housing supply close to the route, in support of the government’s goals for transport orientated development and the transition to a zero-carbon transport system.
There will be a 350 vehicle park and ride site near to the St Margaret’s Road stop and the line is expected to generate an extra 1.3 million low-carbon public transport trips in 2035, increasing to 1.8 million in 2050.
Peter Walsh, CEO of TII, said: “The team at TII is very pleased to reach this milestone today. Luas has been a huge success story for Dublin over the past 20 years. TII has an excellent track record of delivering Luas projects on time and within budget while its passenger numbers have exceeded all projections. Luas Finglas will enable the delivery of sustainable, compact growth in Finglas as it has done in the IFSC, City West, Cherrywood and Sandyford. Everyone at TII looks forward to delivering more Luas services for Dublin and other cities in Ireland.”
Anne Graham, CEO of the NTA, added: “It’s very positive to see progress on Luas Finglas, a project that was identified as a key priority in our GDA Transport Strategy, 2022-42. I believe that an ambitious and exciting project like this has the potential to be transformative for this part of the city and that it will further enhance the area for people who live here, work here, or want to run a business here.”
Funding for the extension will be provided by Department of Transport through NTA.
Following the submission of the Railway Order on 18th November there is a period of public submissions available between 22nd November 2024 and 20th January 2025.