Reopened Luas red line must be extended – Geoghegan

The Luas red line, which is reopening tomorrow, must be extended to serve Ringsend, Irishtown, and the new Glass Bottle Site development, a Fine Gael TD has said.

Deputy James Geoghegan said the recent closure of part of the red line, between Connolly Station and The Point after months of closure, has highlighted the importance of the Luas for the city and the need for further expansion.

“We’ve seen the negative effects of a small portion of the red line being shut down. While Dublin Bus has thankfully provided an interim service, traffic has been heavy, and for many commute times are much longer.

“The largest high-density housing scheme in the history of the State is Poolbeg West. Imagine the impact that almost 10,000 new residents and 10,000 extra people working in the commercial space at the Glass Bottle Site will have.

“There will be tens of thousands of new people travelling to and from the area each day, with only buses and cars to serve their needs on roads that are already at capacity.

“We need joined-up and long-term thinking when it comes to the delivery of housing and infrastructure.

“This is about more than a specific project. We need to see public transport infrastructure which matches the density of housing that will be delivered in Dublin over the next five to ten years.

“Last month we saw approval granted for the green line Luas extension to Finglas. We need to keep this momentum going and extend the red line as far as the Glass Bottle Site development.

“Without this kind of common-sense thinking, we will have thousands of new homes but worse traffic, more pollution, and a lower quality of life”.

Deputy Geoghegan points to a report from the Department of Transport, which shows that the economic cost of congestion in the Greater Dublin Area is set to increase four-fold, from an estimated €336 million in 2022 to over €1.5 billion by 2040.

“The project is due to happen by 2042 at the latest. The area’s population is already growing quickly, and the Glass Bottle Site will add a population the size of Longford Town to Poolbeg. We need to see the red line extension before this happens,” concluded Deputy Geoghegan.