Airport Luas call as costs soar

Continued from front page home support workers, Susan Doggett from Donabate, Suzanna Creaney from Raheny, Martin Stanley and Lynn Kavanagh from Baldoyle, Elaine Hale from Ballymun, Paula Cowzer from Rush, Carol Gribbin from Coolock, Michael Joseph Dempsey from Marino and Katie McMenamin, Head of Comfort Keepers Training Department Elevation Training received recognition awards for their 10 years of service with the company.

Fine Gael TD Alan Farrell said while he would welcome any rail service to the airport, there is an issue with this plan.

“Regardless of the cost, the capacity is the big issue when it comes to commuters in north Dublin,” he said.

“The MetroLink will have a capacity of upward of 20,000 persons per direction per hour, with an estimate from the NTA of 53 million journeys in the first year of operation.

“when you compare that to the capacity of Luas, you’re looking at in and around 5,600 on the Green Line.

“There’s a very, very large difference. I would also question the capacity of the Green Line to actually handle the level of traffic that the airport would generate - nevermind extending it to Swords”.

Mr Geary said ‘nobody’ believes the MetroLink will be delivered on time.

“I think we have to remember the current capacity on any rail line between the airport and the city centre is zero at the moment,” he said.

“The Metro is an important project... I think nobody in the country believes that it’s going to get delivered on time by 2034.

“Nobody believes it’s going to be within the budget that’s proposed at the moment.