Irish Railway Record Society
Irish Railway News - Journal 152
The IRRS Journal contains a wealth of news covering all aspects of Railways in Ireland.
 | |
| |
| |
| |
|
RAILWAY PROCUREMENT
AGENCY
Development
Opportunities The Railway
Procurement Agency (RPA) has sought applications for pre-qualification from
suitable developers, joint ventures and others in respect of current and future
development opportunities which may arise on residual lands associated with Luas
network. Basic criteria for inclusion on the pre-qualification list includes: a
proven track record in projects of a similar nature, together with
architectural, transport planning and urban design expertise.
The
first such opportunity has arisen as a result of ongoing Light Railway works and
roadway re-alignment at Taney Junction in Dundrum. The RPA and Dún Laoghaire
Rathdown County Council, in conjunction with Dublin Bus, have prepared an
outline brief for a public transport interchange at this location, which will
facilitate transfers between light rail, bus and taxi modes and also cater for
pedestrian movements in the vicinity. They are seeking proposals for the
provision of this interchange, and for the appropriate development any remaining
residual land within the site, which adjoins the new Taney bridge and is
approximately 2,000 sq metres in extent. The original Dundrum station, a
protected structure, lies within the site boundary. A high standard of
architectural and urban design will be required.
Impact
Studies The RPA is seeking applic-ations from organisations to undertake a
study into the possible effects of Luas on the value of residential and
commercial properties along the alignments, and to see whether these can be
separated from the other major "drivers" of property value, and
quantified. The study will take place in two phases, before and after Luas opens
for service. The decision to undertake the analysis comes amid widespread
misgiv-ings about the disruption caused by Luas works. The business community,
in particular, has been vocal about the loss of trade as a result of delays and
the general upheaval. However, property experts predict that home owners living
close to the railway lines would see a 15-20% jump in the value of their houses,
as a direct result of easy access into and out of the city.
In
addition, the Dublin Transportation Office (DTO) intends to carry out a
‘before and after’ study on the two lines to assess their impact on
transport users, businesses and retailers in terms
of behavioural and
attitudinal responses to Luas. The DTO is seeking tenders from companies or
consortia of companies wishing to carry out the ‘before’ element of this
study. It is anticipated that the study will be completed within 27 weeks from
the signature of the contract and that a final report will be submitted no later
than 31 May 2004.
METRO
While
the Government remains committed to the full metro plan drawn up by the Dublin
Transportation Office, the RPA’s estimate for the 11.5-kilometre city
centre-airport line, the first phase of the project, is unacceptable.
Frustration with delays and sharply escalating costs associated with major
infrastructure projects have prompted legislation in the form of the
Infrastructural Bill to be considered. This would give the State the power to
claim ownership of land underneath private property, thereby saving the
Exchequer tens of millions of Euro. Nearly 10% of the cost of the Luas system is
expected to be incurred by land-acquisitions. However, the move to acquire
underground property rights would, more than likely lead to a Supreme Court
challenge under Article 26 of the Constitution, as the traditional
interpretation of property rights was that all the air above and land directly
below was part of the property.
The
Bill is also expected to contain changes to Compulsory Purchase Orders, reducing
the time allowed to lodge appeals. It is also planned to introduce laws freezing
land prices along an infrastructure route as soon as that route is chosen.
Following
Minister Séamus Brennan’s visit to Madrid, Prof Manuel Melis Maynar, Chairman
of that city’s metro company, addressed the Oireachtas Joint Committee on
Transport in June. He expressed the view that there was no reason why a Dublin
metro line, similar to the one in Madrid, could not be built for just €1.5
billion, rather than the RPA’s original estimate of €4.8 billion. He urged
the Government to fast-track infrastructure planning and construction, adding
that plans for the new metro in Dublin could be ready by February. He stated,
"It is up to legislators to clear the way". A two to three-month
public consultation period could then take place, with any changes arising from
this process being finalised within two weeks. Tendering for tunnelling and
other work should take no more than two months. Station design should be keep
simple to reduce costs and further savings could be achieved by adopting a
single twin-track tunnel as opposed to two single-track tunnels. He said the
rolling stock for the system could be ordered by November 2004, and with
tunnelling 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, there was no reason why Dublin could
not have a metro system by 2006.
A
further revision of the plan has been put forward by the RPA. In this plan,
which is aimed at saving €700m of the construction costs, the line would run
via D’Olier St, from where there would be an underground travelator link to
Tara St station. Planned interchanges at Connolly and Pearse stations would not
be provided, while the physical connection with the upgraded Sandyford Luas line
would also be lost.
Copyright © 2004 by Irish
Railway Record Society Limited
Revised: January 07, 2004
.
