Metro North route to include Drumcondra

The route: The route of Dublin's proposed Metro North line from St Stephen's Green to north of Swords will now take in Drumcondra, the Minister for Transport, Martin Cullen, announced yesterday.

The 17km metro, about half of which is to run underground, will take passengers from St Stephen's Green to Dublin airport in 17 minutes, arriving at Swords in 26 minutes, or 27 minutes if a possible stop at Parnell Street in the north inner city is included.

The route is broadly similar to that announced by Mr Cullen at the launch of Transport 21 last November. But the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) said it had been amended to serve Drumcondra, where it will interchange with Iarnród Éireann suburban services, following an extended period of public consultation.

The RPA said other amendments included the development of a large-scale station under the Liffey at O'Connell Bridge, with access to the north and south quays and to the Luas Red Line at Abbey Street.

A major interchange with the proposed Irish Rail Heuston to Connolly interconnector is also proposed for St Stephen's Green. It is likely that St Stephen's Green will be closed for a number of years during excavations for the station. The RPA said yesterday the green would be fully reinstated when construction is complete.

Travelling from St Stephen's Green the route runs underground below Grafton Street and under College Green, avoiding what were described as the "sensitive buildings" at Trinity College. It will then travel below O'Connell Street to Parnell Square, the Mater hospital, Drumcondra and Griffith Avenue.

The line will rise to street level at Dublin City University. Final details of an elevated section in the Ballymun area are yet to be worked out.

The line will also serve a "metropark" between the M50 and the airport before going underground again to stop at the airport complex. The remaining stations are Nevinstown, Swords, Seatown and Lissenhall, where significant development is expected in coming years.

As a metro, it will not share its route with any other vehicles; as the trains travel faster than Luas, they will be heavier. Final design details of the trains are yet to be worked out.

The RPA estimates that 34 million passengers a year will use the service, with trains every four minutes in each direction. Speaking yesterday, Frank Allen, the chief executive of the RPA, said the frequency could be increased to a tram every 90 seconds if necessary.

The Metro will not go farther south than St Stephen's Green, although Mr Allen acknowledged it was policy to upgrade the Luas Green line to metro standard. However, he said that was "another project".

Mr Allen said the RPA had considered linking the underground with the Dart line at Connolly but had been persuaded of the need for the line into the centre of the city by business interests in Dublin.

Mr Cullen said yesterday that the formal public consultation period on Metro West - the Metro from Tallaght via Blanchardstown to Ballymun - would begin within weeks.