Green Line (Luas)

The Green Line (Irish: Líne Uaine) is one of the two lines of Dublin's Luas light rail system. The Green Line was formerly entirely in the south side of Dublin city. It mostly follows the route of the old Harcourt Street railway line, which was reserved for possible re-use when it closed in 1958. The Green Line allows for passenger transfers at O’ Connell GPO and Marlborough to Luas Red Line services and also allows commuters to use Broombridge as an interchange station to reach outer suburbs such as Castleknock and Ongar.

Luas Green Line
Dublin-bound Luas after passing over the R118 north of Cherrywood
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerTransport Infrastructure Ireland
LocaleIreland
TerminiBroombridge
Parnell
Sandyford
Brides Glen
Stations35
Service
TypeLight rail
Operator(s)Transdev
Depot(s)
History
Opened30 June 2004
Technical
Line length12-mile (19 km)
Number of tracksDouble track
CharacterPrimary
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in) standard gauge
Electrification750 V DC Overhead catenary
Route map

Broombridge
Depot
Cabra
Phibsborough
Grangegorman
Broadstone – DIT
Dominick
Parnell
O'Connell Upper
O'Connell - GPO
Marlborough
Westmoreland
Trinity
Dawson
St Stephen's Green
Harcourt
Charlemont
Ranelagh
Beechwood
Cowper
Milltown
Windy Arbour
Dundrum
Balally
Kilmacud
Stillorgan
Sandyford
Depot
Central Park
Glencairn
The Gallops
Leopardstown Valley
Ballyogan Wood
Racecourse
(unused)
Carrickmines
Brennanstown
(unused)
Laughanstown
Cherrywood
Wyattville Link Road
Brides Glen

The Green Line from St Stephen's Green to Sandyford launched on 30 June 2004. An extension to the Bride's Glen stop at Cherrywood was opened on 16 October 2010.

As of 2018, the Green line is operating at near maximum capacity during the morning and evening rush hours, and it experiences mass overcrowding and congestion at these times. To assist in alleviating this congestion, seven new longer trams came into service in 2018, with a further eight entering service in 2020. Platforms between St Stephen's Green and Sandyford have been lengthened to accommodate the new trams.[1]

Course of the line

The section south of St Stephen's Green makes significant re-use of the old Harcourt Street railway line while the northbound route of the newer Cross City section mainly re-uses the old Midland Great Western Railway line after skirting the former site of Broadstone railway works and station.

Southern section

Between Harcourt Street and Charlemont, the Green Line takes a large loop east around buildings which did not exist between 1859 and 1959. As such, there is no train bridge on Adelaide Road for the current line, as there had been for the Harcourt Street Line.

The line then follows the old alignment of the Harcourt Street line from Charlemont station as far as the current Sandyford stop (known as "Stillorgan" on the Harcourt Street line). After Sandyford the line detours over the Leopardstown Road/Brewery Road junction so as to run west around the Leopardstown Racecourse before rejoining the original alignment just north of Carrickmines.[2] The Harcourt Street line had run around the eastern edge of the racecourse, via Silverpark. Remnants of the old Foxrock Station are visible at the back of The Hedgerows in Foxrock. The route deviation was seemingly intended to serve the new properties that would have been built during the "Celtic Tiger" boom, before the Extension was open.

After this detour around Leopardstown Racecourse, the current line runs roughly along the original alignment with some minor detours, particularly prevalent at Laughanstown.

The Carrickmines/Bride's Glen section was also intended to have terminated into what should have a "Celtic Tiger" town centre, similar to the Tallaght area stops, until the Line B2 extension to Fassaroe/Bray was built. This is why, as of 2018, this end of the Green Line seemingly goes to the middle of nowhere, through fields, as nearly all the property that was intended to be serviced by the line, was never built. This is also why there were unused "Ghost" stops built, to serve these unbuilt areas.

There are some other cosmetic differences between the Harcourt Street Line and the current Green Line, such as the positioning of the Ranelagh stop. The location of Ranelagh on the former line was at the current Beechwood stop. The old Ranelagh stop was the last stop on the old line before the train reached the city.

Luas Cross City

Luas Cross City (Irish: Luas Traschathrach), formerly called Luas BXD, is an extension to the Green Line which runs from St. Stephen's Green to Broombridge railway station.[3]

Construction of Luas Cross City began in June 2013 and it opened on 9 December 2017.[4][5] The Rosie Hackett Bridge carrying the new line over the river Liffey was opened on 20 May 2014.

The new section begins at the former city centre terminus, St. Stephen's Green, crosses the Red Line near the Abbey stop, and continues northwards, terminating at Broombridge station. There it connects passengers using Iarnród Éireann commuter services to Maynooth railway station and M3 Parkway railway station.

Stops

Image Name
Name in Irish
Zone Location Transport
interchange
Serves
Broombridge
Droichead Broome
Green 1 Broombridge railway station
53.372684°N 6.298975°W / 53.372684; -6.298975
Broombridge

Dublin Bus routes

Tolka Valley Park

Dublin Industrial Estate

Cabra
Cabrach
Green 1 Connaught Street / Fassaugh Road
53.364200°N 6.281745°W / 53.364200; -6.281745
Cabra
Mount Bernard Park
National Botanic Gardens
Glasnevin Cemetery
Phibsborough
Baile Phib
Green 1 North Circular Road / Cabra Road
53.360235°N 6.279945°W / 53.360235; -6.279945
Phibsborough
Dalymount Park
St Peter's Church, Phibsborough
Grangegorman
Gráinseach Ghormáin
Green 1 Grangegorman
53.357700°N 6.277520°W / 53.357700; -6.277520
Drumcondra (walk 1.6 km / 1 mile)

dublinbikes

Mater Misericordiae University Hospital

Technological University Dublin

Broadstone —DIT
An Chloch Leathan — ITBhÁC
Green 1 / Central Western Way
53.354517°N 6.272976°W / 53.354517; -6.272976
Drumcondra (walk 1.6 km / 1 mile)

Dublin Bus routes

dublinbikes

King's Inns
14 Henrietta Street
Blessington Street Park

Technological University Dublin

Dominick
Doiminic
Central Dominick Street Lower
53.351386°N 6.265649°W / 53.351386; -6.265649
Dublin Bus routes

dublinbikes

Cineworld Dublin

14 Henrietta Street
DIT Bolton Street
Rotunda Hospital

Parnell Central Parnell Street East
53.352993°N 6.260424°W / 53.352993; -6.260424 (Southbound only)
Many bus routes on Parnell Street / Parnell Square

dublinbikes

Gate Theatre
James Joyce Centre
Hugh Lane Gallery
Dublin Writers Museum
Mountjoy Square
Marlborough
Maoilbhríde
Central Marlborough Street South
53.349843°N 6.258149°W / 53.349843; -6.258149 (Southbound only)
Luas Red Line Abbey Street (walk 100 m / 110 yds)

Dublin Connolly (walk 650m / 711 yds)

Dublin Bus routes

dublinbikes

Department of Education and Skills
St Mary's Pro-Cathedral
Trinity
An Trionóid
Central College Street
53.345455°N 6.258085°E / 53.345455; 6.258085 (Southbound only)
Tara Street (walk 350 m / 383 yds)

Many bus routes on College Green

dublinbikes

College Green,

Dame Street
Trinity College
Parliament House
Olympia Theatre

O'Connell Upper
Ó Conaill Uachtarach
Central O'Connell Street North
53.351572°N 6.261067°W / 53.351572; -6.261067 (Northbound only)
Many bus routes on O'Connell Street

dublinbikes

O'Connell Street
Savoy Cinema
O'Connell - GPO
Ó Conaill - AOP
Central O'Connell Street South
53.349625°N 6.260295°W / 53.349625; -6.260295 (Northbound only)
Luas Red Line Abbey Street (walk 140 m / 150 yds)
Many bus routes on O'Connell Street

dublinbikes

O'Connell Street,

Henry Street
The Spire
General Post Office

Westmoreland Central Westmoreland Street
53.346070°N 6.259072°E / 53.346070; 6.259072 (Northbound only)
Tara Street (walk 450 m / ¼ mile)

Dublin Bus routes

The National Wax Museum Plus

Trinity College
Parliament House
Olympia Theatre

Dawson
Dásain
Central Dawson Street
53.341516°N 6.258192°W / 53.341516; -6.258192
Dublin Pearse (walk 1 km / ⅔ mile)

Dublin Bus routes

dublinbikes

Dawson Street

Grafton Street

Kildare Street
Leinster House
St. Ann's Church, Dawson Street
Kerlin Gallery
Mansion House

Leinster House

National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology
National Library of Ireland

St. Stephen's Green
Faiche Stiabhna
Central St. Stephen's Green West
53.339179°N 6.261350°W / 53.339179; -6.261350
Tara Street (walk 1.3 km / ¾ mile)
Dublin Pearse (walk 1.6 km / 1 mile)
Dublin Bus routes
dublinbikes
St. Stephen's Green

Grafton Street
Gaiety Theatre
Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland
Dublin Castle and Chester Beatty Library

Harcourt
Sráid Fhearchair
Central Harcourt Street
53.333644°N 6.262734°W / 53.333644; -6.262734
Dublin Bus routes
dublinbikes
National Concert Hall
Iveagh Gardens
Synge Street CBS
Charlemont Central / Green 2 Grand Parade
53.330610°N 6.258630°W / 53.330610; -6.258630
Dublin Bus routes
dublinbikes
Portobello
Cathal Brugha Barracks
Grand Canal
Ranelagh
Raghnallach
Green 2 Ranelagh
53.326127°N 6.256212°W / 53.326127; -6.256212
Dublin Bus routes

Go-Ahead Ireland routes

Ranelagh

Rathmines
Leinster Cricket Club
Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club

Beechwood
Coill na Feá
Green 2 Dunville Avenue / Beechwood Road
53.320924°N 6.254658°W / 53.320924; -6.254658
Dublin Bus routes Rathmines
Sandford Park School
Cowper Green 2 Cowper Road
53.320924°N 6.254658°W / 53.320924; -6.254658
Dublin Bus routes Dartry

Gonzaga College

Milltown
Baile an Mhuilinn
Green 2 Richmond Avenue South
53.309654°N 6.251807°W / 53.309654; -6.251807
Dublin Bus routes Milltown Golf Club
Alexandra College
Trinity Hall
Windy Arbour
Na Glasáin
Green 2 Churchtown Road Lower / St. Columbanus' Road
53.301759°N 6.250675°W / 53.301759; -6.250675
Dublin Bus routes Windy Arbour, Churchtown, Clonskeagh
University College Dublin (Belfield campus; walk 1.7 km / 1 mile)
Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland
De La Salle College Churchtown
Central Mental Hospital
Dundrum
Dún Droma
Green 2/3 Dundrum / Taney Road
53.292424°N 6.245123°W / 53.292424; -6.245123
Dublin Bus routes

Go-Ahead Ireland routes

Dundrum
Dundrum Town Centre (main entrance)
Balally
Baile Amhlaoibh
Green 3 Drummartin
53.286030°N 6.236712°W / 53.286030; -6.236712
Dublin Bus routes
Luas Park + Ride
Goatstown
Dundrum Town Centre (Dundrum South)
Wesley College
Mount Anville Secondary School
Kilmacud
Cill Mochuda
Green 3 Benildus Avenue / Drummartin Link Road
53.282948°N 6.224090°W / 53.282948; -6.224090
Dublin Bus routes Kilmacud
St Benildus College
Stillorgan
Stigh Lorgan
Green 3 Blackthorn Avenue
53.277643°N 6.204595°W / 53.277643; -6.204595
Dublin Bus routes
Luas Park + Ride
Stillorgan
Beacon Hospital
Sandyford
Áth an Ghainimh
Green 3/4 Blackthorn Avenue
53.277618°N 6.204634°W / 53.277618; -6.204634
Dublin Bus routes

Go-Ahead Ireland routes
Luas Park + Ride

Sandyford
Central Park
An Pháirc Láir
Green 4 South County Business Park
53.270099°N 6.203786°W / 53.270099; -6.203786
Dublin Bus routes

Go-Ahead Ireland routes

Leopardstown Park Hospital
Leopardstown Racecourse
Kilmacud Crokes GAA

South County Business Park

Glencairn
Gleann an Chairn
Green 4 Murphystown Road
53.266281°N 6.209923°W / 53.266281; -6.209923
Dublin Bus routes

Go-Ahead Ireland routes

Glencairn House
The Gallops
An Eachrais
Green 4 Murphystown Way
53.261157°N 6.205870°W / 53.261157; -6.205870
Dublin Bus routes

Go-Ahead Ireland routes

Stepaside
Leopardstown Valley
Gleann Baile na Lobhair
Green 4 Ballyogan Road
53.258316°N 6.198373°W / 53.258316; -6.198373
Dublin Bus routes

Go-Ahead Ireland routes

Leopardstown shopping centre
Ballyogan Wood
Coill Bhaile Uí Ógáin
Green 4 Ballyogan Vale
53.255078°N 6.184431°W / 53.255078; -6.184431
Dublin Bus routes

Go-Ahead Ireland routes

Ballyogan
The Park Carrickmines
Stepaside Golf Course
Carrickmines
Carraig Mhaighin
Green 5 Glenamuck Road North
53.254350°N 6.171621°W / 53.254350; -6.171621
Dublin Bus routes

Go-Ahead Ireland routes
Luas Park + Ride

Carrickmines, Cabinteely, Foxrock, Cornelscourt
Carrickmines Golf Club
Laughanstown
Baile an Lachnáin
Green 5 Laughanstown (Lehaunstown)
53.250636°N 6.154953°W / 53.250636; -6.154953
Cabinteely
Cherrywood
Coill na Sílíní
Green 5 Cherrywood Park / Valley Drive
53.245382°N 6.145839°W / 53.245382; -6.145839
Dublin Bus routes

Go-Ahead Ireland routes

Cherrywood

Cherrywood Business Park

Brides Glen
Gleann Bhríde
Green 5 Cherrywood Business Park
53.241870°N 6.142782°W / 53.241870; -6.142782
Dublin Bus routes

Go-Ahead Ireland routes

Cherrywood,

Loughlinstown,

St. Columcille's Hospital

Bridges

The line re-uses some existing bridges and viaducts and has had new bridges specially constructed. The new build William Dargan Bridge at Dundrum crosses the Slang River. The River Liffey is crossed by the new Rosie Hackett Bridge southbound and the existing O'Connell Bridge northbound. The River Dodder is crossed by the Nine Arches Bridge originally constructed for the Harcourt Street railway line in 1854.

Depots

The Green line initially was provisioned with a works depot just past the Sandyford terminus and opposite the old Stillorgan Railway station building. The depot could stable 32 trams.[6] When the Green line was extended to Broombridge a further depot was constructed over part of the old Liffey Junction site. It was named Hamilton Depot in honour of William Rowan Hamilton who developed the quaternion mathematical number system.[7] The primary control facility for the Luas system for such functions as power and signally lies at the Red line Luas depot at Red Cow. Following a storm damage incident in October 2017 at Red Cow it was found the depots at Broombridge and Sandyford were not able to take over the function and the whole Luas system was suspended for two days.[8]

Planned developments

Green Line upgrade to metro

A portion of the Luas Green Line between Charlemont and Sandyford was built with the eventual intention that it be upgraded to carry metro services.[9] In the development of rail based public transport in Greater Dublin, it was envisaged that Metro North would be completed and operating by 2012.[10] It was further planned under the Platform for Change[11] that Metro South, due to operate from St. Stephen's Green to Sandyford would follow this by, according to the Platform for Change, 2020.

However, due to the Great Recession, Metro North was delayed until 2015 at which point it was revived as the "new Metro North".[12] At this stage, efforts were undertaken by the National Transport Authority to improve upon the original Metro North design and alignment. Originally, Metro North's 2012 alignment would connect to Iarnród Éireann's Western Commuter line at Drumcondra. However, new consideration was given by the NTA in the intervening period between 2015 and 2018 to divert the metro line from Drumcondra to Cross Guns Bridge, a point where the Western and South Western Commuter lines meet. Diverting to this area and building a brand new station called Glasnevin would enable the Metro to interchange with two rail lines both of which, would be high frequency DART lines[13] at the time of the metro's opening. As the scale of the new metro North project grew, the decision was made to upgrade the Green Line from Charlemont to Sandyford to metro standard and connect it to Metro North all at once. This decision was made due to the Green Line's overcapacity issues.[14] It was forecast that without an increase of capacity and frequency the tram service provided by the Green Line would eventually become dangerously overcrowded. When the new project was announced to the public in 2018, it was announced as MetroLink, a metro line running from Swords, under Dublin Airport to Dublin city centre, emerging in the Charlemont area, before continuing on the newly upgraded Green Line to Sandyford.

Green Line upgrade deferred

If completed as was planned, metro trains would replace Luas trams between Ranelagh and Sandyford, with a new station interchange between the two lines at Charlemont (Luas trams would continue from Charlemont north to Broombridge. The Luas would also continue operating between Sandyford and Bride's Glen).[15]

During the public consultation process for this proposal, Dublin City Council submitted that a large sewer was blocking the path of where the tunnel was planned to emerge, just south of the existing Charlemont tram stop.[16] This necessitated the realignment of the tunnel portal to just north of the current Beechwood Luas stop. This realignment also meant that the planned upgrade of the Luas line would grow in size from a possible 9 months to nearly 48,[17] as the tunnel boring machine needed to reach the new portal in Beechwood before the Green Line upgrade works could begin. This would therefore delay the opening of the entire Metrolink line. The constructability report detailed, however, that if the Green Line Upgrade was done as a second phase to the northern section, then the northern could open on schedule. By completing the Green Line upgrade as a second phase, time savings could also be made on the upgrade works.

Status

This news, when announced in March 2019, was widely reported as the upgrade having been "shelved"[18] or "abandoned."[19] However, the project is still planned as part of the Greater Dublin Transport Strategy 2016-2035[20] which the National Transport Authoirty remains legislatively bound to pursue. In May 2019, this commitment was reaffirmed by Transport Infrastructure Ireland in an episode of 98FM's On the Move transport podcast:[16]

The goal is still, of the Strategy, to deliver a metro to Sandyford. Simply, we are not going to do it now, or in the short term.

Paolo Carbone, Head of Public Transport Capital Programmes at Transport Infrastructure Ireland

As of April 2020, it is still the position of both Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the National Transport Authority to upgrade the Green Line from Beechwood to Sandyford to metro standard as no change has been made the Greater Dublin Transport Strategy. The Green Line Upgrade will commence at some point after Metrolink opens in 2027, as is currently planned. However, due to the economic downturn as expected from the Coronavirus disease 2019 crisis, this may be subject to change.[21]

References

  1. "'It doesn't feel safe': There's been an increase in complaints about Luas overcrowding". TheJournal.ie. 17 March 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  2. "Ordnance Survey Ireland". OSI. Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  3. "Luas City Broombridge (Line BXD)". Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  4. "Green light given to Luas link-up, first passengers 2017". RTÉ. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  5. "Taoiseach launches new Luas Cross City service in Dublin". RTÉ. 9 December 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  6. "Trams and Depots". Transport Infrastructure Ireland. Depots. Archived from the original on 10 August 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  7. "The Irish father of algebra to be honoured with new Luas depot". thejournal.ie. 16 October 2014. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  8. "Luas to improve backup plans following storm-related service disruptions". The Irish Times. 20 October 2017. Archived from the original on 3 November 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  9. "Luas lines being built to different standards". The Irish Times. 28 June 2003. (subscription required)
  10. O'Brien, Tim (14 September 2007). "RPA puts four consortiums on shortlist to build metro". The Irish Times. (subscription required)
  11. "Strategy 2000 - 2016 A Platform for Change Summary Report" (PDF). Dublin Transportation Office.
  12. "new Metro North will best address future transport needs in Swords and Fingal region: NTA New line to run underground in city centre, and to serve Airport". National Transport Authority. 29 September 2015.
  13. (PDF) https://www.irishrail.ie/Admin/IrishRail/media/Content/DART-brochure.PDF. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. Baker, Kevin (15 May 2018). "MetroLink Explainer: Why there are no easy options left for upgrading the Luas Green Line capacity". DublinOnTrack.ie. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019.
  15. "Preferred route for MetroLink revealed". Irish Independent. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  16. "Episode 4: Metrolink". 98FM.
  17. London Bridge Associates Ltd (16 April 2019). "Constructability Report - Green Line Closure" (PDF). MetroLink.
  18. Kelly, Olivia (20 April 2019). "Luas closure would have lasted 2½ years". The Irish Times. (subscription required)
  19. Kelly, Olivia (21 February 2019). "MetroLink southside section is set to be abandoned". The Irish Times. (subscription required)
  20. "Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area 2016 - 2035" (PDF). National Transport Authority.
  21. Quinn, Jack (22 April 2020). "COVID-19: Capital projects like Dublin MetroLink may be deferred". Newstalk.
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