Ballymun developer against surface level metro

Ballymun Regeneration, which is leading a €1 billion revitalisation of the north Dublin suburb, has said its project will be "blighted" by plans to run a "segregated" metro along the new Main Street.

Four proposals were considered by the metro developers, the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA). They were a metro "on stilts"; a metro at surface level; a metro in an open trench; and a metro in a "cut and cover" trench.

Last week Minister for Transport Martin Cullen told the Oireachtas Committee on Transport that, while a final decision on the method had not been made, the RPA's preference was for a surface metro.

Quizzed by Labour TD Róisín Shortall as to whether cut and cover was ruled out as a result of the "financial envelope" provided by the Minister, Mr Cullen replied: "The RPA is saying it is bad value for money".

However, Ballymun Regeneration, Dublin City Council and local politicians do not agree.

They claim the high-speed link between Dublin and Swords is vastly different from Luas which used public streets, pointing out that the route would be separated from the rest of the Main Street by a wall and/or a high fence, a point conceded by Mr Cullen.

Locals say this would "sever" the Main Street, civic plaza and new shopping centre which are vital to the regeneration.

Ballymun Regeneration architect Ali Grehan told The Irish Times the development agency was "very concerned that a surface level metro will blight our new Main Street, both visually and in terms of impact on pedestrians and traffic movement".

She said no technical analysis of the issues had been presented to Ballymun Regeneration, and it wanted to see a "full technical appraisal" of all the effects of the options.

Mr Cullen has said the issue is one for the RPA.

"The RPA, with all its experts, was asked to design a system from the centre of Dublin to Swords, to get the best value for money and to marry that with the best delivery time and the best system.

"Its view is that it is utterly unnecessary to incur an enormous extra cost in going underground at Ballymun. That is the point the RPA is making publicly, and it has made me aware of that."