The proposed Dart Plus project will deliver a new Dart service between Celbridge Hazelhatch and Heuston Station. This will provide a vastly increased service of 23 trains per hour with a passenger capacity of 20 000. The news is extremely welcome, particularly for the Adamstown and Lucan area and will help reduce traffic congestion on the roads. However, some concerns have been raised about the termination of services at Heuston station. If the majority of services terminate at Heuston this will add additional strain on the red Luas which is already operating at full capacity. The Dart Plus proposal is now open for public consultation until the 23rd June.
Cllr Madeleine Johansson (People Before Profit) commented: “The proposal for a Dart service on the Kildare rail line is very positive for the area. Providing people with a high quality public transport option will help to reduce traffic in the area and to reduce carbon emissions. It will also serve the new communities in Adamstown and Clonburris.”
Gino Kenny TD added: “The news of the Dart plus programme is great, but I have some concerns about the lack of connectivity to Dublin City Centre.
The proposal includes some services that will go through the Phoenix Park tunnel and provide connections to the city centre. But it seems that most services will terminate at Heuston which would leave people a good distance away from the city centre.
Commuters would have to change to the red Luas or a bus, but the Luas is already at full capacity and everyone who travels on it knows that by the time it gets to Heuston it’s always full. I’m concerned that this might cause people to continue using their car because it’s more convenient than having to change transport mode. I would urge the government to commit to funding to increase capacity at the city centre stations to allow more services to take passengers to the city centre.”
