DART Link Proposed For Dublin Airport Instead Of Metro

Irish Rail has unveiled a proposal to build a DART link to Dublin Airport, which would connect it to the city center by rail for the first time.

The proposal would cost €200m - just a fraction of the cost of the long-mooted Metro North link proposed before Ireland's economic crash.

Planners have long recognized the need for a rail link to Dublin Airport from the city center but there is considerable disagreement over how to do it.

At present, passengers can only travel to and from the Airport by car, taxi or bus.

The Railway Procurement Agency has already received planning permission for the Metro North project - a new 15.7 kilometer line from the city centre to Swords in north Dublin, via the airport.

But the multi-billion euro project has been shelved since the collapse of the Irish economy.

And now Irish Rail is hoping it can convince the government that's its plan represents better value for money.

It proposes linking the existing DART line at Clongriffin in north Dublin with the airport.

The new 7 km of track would be built largely in greenfield sites, minimizing the disruption during its construction to residents and business.

That's because large areas of that part of the city is in the airport's main flight path, and the land has never been developed there for safety reasons.

That's in sharp contrast to the Metro, which goes through densely populated areas on its way to the airport.

The downside of the DART plan is that there are no new proposed stops between Clongriffin and the Airport, and it will not serve the growing commuter town of Swords.

The Metro North proposal provides for stops along its route, giving a rail link to the city and airport to several neighborhoods for the first time.

Both plans say passengers would get from the airport to the city in 20 to 25 minutes by rail.

The Irish Rail plan says the €200m spend would be repaid five times in terms of the economic benefits it could deliver to the city.

It forecasts that the numbers of people travelling by DART would increase by 9.4 million passengers per year - an almost 50% jump on its current usage. Revenue would easily cover the costs of operating it.

Irish Rail claims the line could be open by 2016 if the government gave it the go-ahead.

The DART link would mean that the airport would be connected by rail to the Aviva Stadium at Landsowne Road, the IFSC and Dun Laoghaire.

The DART plan is likely to appeal to the cash-strapped government because of its significantly lower price tag.

Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar said the country is in receivership and it's by no means certain that any of the transport projects proposed for Dublin will be built in the next five years.