Government urged to push ahead with Finglas Luas and DART underground projects

Dublin Chamber has called on the government to push ahead with plans to expand the Luas network to Finglas and to accelerate the delivery of the DART underground project.

The project to expand the Luas into Finglas has been dubbed ‘Fingluas‘, with plans brought forward by former Fine Gael TD Noel Rock late last year. Dublin Chamber has today called on new Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan to ‘to expedite the delivery of the Finglas Luas extension and the DART Underground project.’

A statement says that ‘Dublin Chamber, the representative body for businesses in the Dublin region, made the call in a letter to the new Minister earlier this week. In the letter, the Chamber urged the Minister to follow through on already-underway projects such as MetroLink, BusConnects and the DART Expansion Scheme.’

Next stop, Finglas! Dublin Chamber is calling on the new Government to push on with the extension of the Luas Green line to Finglas. And to get the Dart Underground project shovel-ready by 2025. #BetterDublin

➡️Our full release is here: https://t.co/Cu8cxp4SUA pic.twitter.com/Z15k5oxy4d

— Dublin Chamber (@DubCham) July 2, 2020

The statement goes on to say: ‘Dublin Chamber has urged the new Government to learn from the mistakes made during the last economic downturn and to not turn off the investment tap over the coming years. The Chamber said that ambitious, concerted investment in new transport infrastructure is needed to revitalise the economy and ensure that Dublin’s transport system is ready to cope with both existing demand and future growth.’

Dublin Chamber’s Head of Public Affairs Fergus Sharpe said: “Now is the time to press on with the projects currently at an advanced stage in the planning process and to also start work on the proper planning of other much-needed schemes such as DART Underground and Luas extensions.”

Mr Sharpe added: “The Luas Green line extension to Broombridge has been very successful, with the number of users growing all the time. Extending the Luas line to Finglas would open up the line to tens of thousands more people, offering them a compelling and reliable public transport option. The N2 route is one of the most congested in the city in terms of private cars. Introducing the Luas, combined with new park and ride facilities, will help reduce the number of cars coming in to the city each day.”