A STUDY on a proposed new Luas line from Dundrum to Dublin city centre via Rathfarnham has found that delivery of its most feasible route would have "considerable adverse impacts" and would fall short of covering its operating costs by €2 million a year.
The Rathfarnham "E line" would also require the purchase of 150 private gardens and 10 buildings along the route.
The feasibility study, produced by the Railway Procurement Agency for the Minister for Transport, was presented to local representatives at a meeting yesterday. The 8.4 kilometre route "most likely to be feasible" begins at Christchurch and travels down Patrick Street and Clanbrassil Street before crossing the Grand Canal into Harold's Cross.
The line includes a single track loop between Harold's Cross and Terenure; the outbound track would travel down Brighton Square and on to Brighton Road and the inbound track would follow Terenure Road North, linking in with the outbound track at Rathfarnham Road. It would then travel on to Grange Road and Churchtown Road, terminating at The Oaks in Dundrum, where an interchange with the Luas Green would be built.
A section of the route which would have carried the line from Christchurch over O'Donovan Rossa Bridge to Constitution Hill at Broadstone on the north side of the city, was assessed as not feasible. The study found that there were too many engineering difficulties, including the vertical clearance for a tram at Christchurch Arch, the unsuitability of the bridge and the steep decline at Winetavern Street.
The "E line" would have considerable negative impact on traffic, the study found, and would require the removal of the Rathfarnham Quality Bus Corridor.
It also found that, based on current and projected population figures, passenger demand would not cover the running costs of the line and there would be a shortfall of €2 million a year.
Substantial property acquisition would be required: 150 private gardens would need to be purchased including some on Clanbrassil Street, Harold's Cross Road and at the Terenure Cross and Brighton Square junction. Some 112 gardens along the Rathfarnham to Dundrum section would be affected, including 50 on Grange Road and Nutgrove Avenue. Some 10 buildings would also have to be purchased.
As part of the study, an archaeological desktop report found that any route section located within the city's medieval town walls, "may have direct and indirect impact on a number of protected structures and national monuments, with an additional potential for impact on previously undiscovered archaeological remains".
Fianna Fáil TD Chris Andrews welcomed the report, but said a lot more detail and consultation would be required before a final decision on the line could be made.
Fine Gael spokeswoman on transport Olivia Mitchell said she was "bitterly disappointed" that the study looked at only one route.
"The plan is to build a Luas network in Dublin, and expanding areas including Rathfarnham, Templeogue and Knocklyon should be serviced as part of the overall network," she said.
