Big response from public over Luas line to Lucan

THE RAILWAY Procurement Agency says it has received a record 2,300 submissions from the public about the proposed Luas line to Lucan, greater than the response for the entire Metro North project.

A spokesman said the RPA was encouraged that the vast majority of submissions made during the public consultation process were in favour of Luas line F, with only a minority of people asking that the light rail project be directed away from their area.

The consultation was held to help arrive at a decision between two main route options and sub-options.

However, as a result of the submissions made, the RPA now is looking at a number of possible further alterations to the options.

With the largest group of submissions coming from Lucan, engineers have undertaken to look at a revised route which might serve both Lucan village and the newer housing estates south of the Liffey; under the existing proposal, only one or other of these areas could be serviced.

Pressure is also growing in Ballyfermot for the Luas to travel in a straight line down Lower Ballyfermot and on to Inchicore, rather than the more circuitous route proposed along the Grand Canal.

In the Liberties, a number of submissions argued that the Coombe was too narrow for the Luas.

The spokesman said the RPA was working its way through the submissions to evaluate the response and hoped to come up with an "emerging preferred route" by the summer.

Line F is to be developed by 2013, according to the Government's strategy Transport 21.

The two main options are essentially a northerly or southerly route from Lucan village or Newcastle Road respectively to the city centre. The city centre terminus is envisaged as being at either St Stephen's Green or at College Green.