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FactCheck: Was there a plan to close the Luas Green Line for up to four years to construct the Metrolink?

The Minister for Transport was among those to make the claim.

Factcheck

Updated: 30 April

This FactCheck originally carried the verdict ‘TRUE’ – this has been changed to Mostly TRUE. For changes, see our Corrections page

EARLIER THIS WEEK, the National Transport Authority (NTA) unveiled plans for a new ‘preferred route’ for the Metrolink project.

Perhaps the biggest change to the project was the proposal that the route will no longer continue south of the Charlemont Luas stop in Dublin.

The announcement had been widely expected, following reports that upgrading the Luas Green Line would have majorly disrupted services along its route.

That followed suggestions that the NTA would alter its original plans to move the Metro underground, in order to avoid disruption to communities in Ranelagh in south Dublin.

Estimates for how long the suspension of Luas Green Line services would last varied, with Minister for Transport Shane Ross among those to suggest that the service would be disrupted for years.

Last month, the Minister claimed that the closure of the Luas Green Line was “off the agenda”, and said that trams would have been suspended on the line for up to four years.

But was the Minister’s estimate accurate? Was there a proposal to close the Luas Green Line for up to four years to construct the Metrolink?

The Claim

Concerns over the suspension of Luas Green Line services to facilitate the construction of the Metrolink arose after plans for the line were published last March.

Residents in Ranelagh – near the proposed Charlemont and Beechwood stops – were unhappy about proposals to close a through-road from Dunville Avenue to Beechwood Road.

They expressed concerns about the impact of the proposal to upgrade the Green Line to metro standard after the public consultation phase for the project ended.

While those concerns initially focused on the impact of the closure of Dunville Avenue on local communities, the emphasis soon switched to the closure of the Green Line.

Dunville The proposed station at Beechwood, located where Dunville Avenue meets Beechwood Road National Transport Authority National Transport Authority

According to the public consultation document for the newly published ‘preferred route’ proposals, the Rethink Metrolink group claimed that the closure of the line would cause “commuter chaos”.

“45,000 daily commuters will lose the Luas service for between 9 and 24 months during construction,” the group said. 

At an Oireachtas hearing in July, Peter Nash of Rethink Metrolink – a local group – claimed the closure of the through-road would create a partition in local communities akin to “Checkpoint Charlie” at the Berlin Wall.

Two solutions to resolve the issue were subsequently proffered.

One was to construct a rail bridge over the road; the other involved a ‘cut and cover’ plan, which would have seen the Metrolink moved underground instead. 

However, it emerged that those plans would have caused the Luas Green Line to be disconnected, potentially disrupting service for a number of years.

Last month, Minister for Transport Shane Ross held talks with the National Transport Authority to warn against doing this.

Briefing reporters on the issue, he said that a two- or four-year disruption to the Luas Green Line would be unacceptable, and that he would “not countenance that sort of delay”.

Ross later reiterated his comments in an interview with RTÉ News, saying that closing “an artery into a major city for four years is completely and utterly unacceptable”.

Metrolink preferred The new Metrolink route, published on Tuesday, which stops at Charlemont in Ranelagh National Transport Authority National Transport Authority

The evidence

A suggestion that Luas Green Line services would be suspended to facilitate the construction of the Metrolink were first made when the initial plans were published last March.

An appraisal report by Transport Infrastructure Ireland noted that a section of the line between Ranelagh and Charlemont would have to be closed for three months.

It read:

During the construction stage (estimated to be three months), services on the existing Luas Green Line will be severed with inbound passengers disembarking at Ranelagh Stop and proceeding on foot to Charlemont Stop to continue their journey.
Outbound passengers will be similarly affected during construction.

Estimates of a four-year closure later emerged after the public consultation process, when the National Transport Authority suggested moving the line underground in Ranelagh to avoid disruption to local residents.

However, the figure is not mentioned in the new Metrolink plans, published on Tuesday.

TheJournal.ie asked the National Transport Authority, the Department of Transport, and Transport Infrastructure Ireland to clarify where the figure came from.

A spokesman for the National Transport Authority said the authority was “happy to stand over” the figure.

“It was included in a report that we commissioned, which concluded that the proposed project that went under Beechwood would add significantly to the Green Line disruption,” he said.

“It found that period of disruption would be between two and four years.”

The spokesman added that the report hasn’t been made publicly available yet, but would soon be published on the authority’s website.

A spokesman for Transport Infrastructure Ireland referenced the same report, and also said the agency would stand over the figure.

“If you were to continue tunneling, you’d have to disconnect the entire system,” the spokesman said. “By doing that, you’d be severing the Green line entirely.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Transport could not be reached for comment.

However, on 10 April the National Transport Authority released the report into the closure of the Green Line, which was carried out by the engineering and consultancy firms Jacobs and IDOM.

It found that extended closures of the Green line would be required for the construction of the Metrolink portal, to construct a new underground Metrolink station at Beechwood, and to upgrade the line as far as Sandyford to facilitate the new light rail system.

However, rather than leading to the closure of the Green Line for four years entirely, these works would be completed in sections, meaning some parts of the line would remain open while others were closed.

Metrolink closures National Transport Authority National Transport Authority

During the first stage, the line would be closed from Ranelagh to Beechwood for two years and six months.

The second stage, taking place after this, would see the line closed from Ranelagh to Cowper for eight months, and then the entire line from Ranelagh to Sandyford for a month after this.

However, the new Beechwood station would reopen after that month, and the line would be closed from Beechwood to Sandyford for another eight months.

After that, the Metrolink would begin operating.

Overall, the entire Green Line from Ranelagh to Sandyford would be closed for just one month, while all closures along the line would last for three years and 11 months – just shy of four years.

Verdict

The claim made by the Minister for Transport was that the Metrolink would close “an artery into a major city [the Luas Green Line] for four years”.

As described above, this claim was not in the original plans for the Metrolink, published in March 2018, when it was suggested that part of the line would have to close for up to three months.

However, a public consultation into those plans raised concerns about the impact those plans would have on the local community in Ranelagh, and the National Transport Authority suggested moving the line underground to mitigate this instead.

The authority, along with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, told TheJournal.ie in March that an as-yet unpublished report found that the plan to divert the Metrolink underground would mean closing the Luas Green Line for up to four years.

However, the report revealed that the closures would last just short of four years, and would happen in sections, rather than along the whole line at once.

As a result, we rate this claim: Mostly TRUE.

As per our verdict guide, this means the claim is accurate, but is missing significant details or context. Or, the best available evidence weighs in favour of the claim.

TheJournal.ie’s FactCheck is a signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network’s Code of Principles. You can read it here. For information on how FactCheck works, what the verdicts mean, and how you can take part, check out our Reader’s Guide here. You can read about the team of editors and reporters who work on the factchecks here.

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34 Comments
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    Mute TheTrustedChalice
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    Mar 29th 2019, 12:16 AM

    Delaney OUT

    134
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    Mute Shane Murphy
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    Mar 29th 2019, 8:13 AM

    @TheTrustedChalice: boycott the match we have already won on tenth June against Gibraltar! Take control. Stand up and don’t bE counted as an aviva statistic! Stop being a cash cow. #delaneyout

    22
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    Mute Barra O Brien
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    Mar 29th 2019, 2:27 AM

    The 4 year option was to placate Ranelagh residents who didn’t want to lose their rat run for a few months. Good to see us repeating our transport mistakes over and over

    121
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    Mute Shane Murphy
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    Mar 29th 2019, 8:17 AM

    @Barra O Brien: The plan is now for a tram to cross dunville avenue every minute at peak time. It will be the Berlin Wall of trams, effectively shutting dunville Avenue. It’s the length of closure on parts of he green line and cost to go further out by tunnel , that has brought us to where we are! The cost of this is astronomical by Irish standards for an infrastructure project ;we will be lucky if this proposed scheme even gets built. If they won’t tunnel a little further due to cost, they are never, EVER! Tunneling to some pipe dream location of eamon Ryan’s. Now hurry up and get the tbm in the ground before the next recession, I can see this project being canned , like metro north, when economic circumstances change again! Which they probably will before the tbm is in the ground …

    21
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    Mute Chicinho
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    Mar 29th 2019, 12:31 PM

    @Barra O Brien: as basket case as Australia is, rarely, check out Melbourne’s rail intersections project!
    Nightly disruption but long term solution! Zero daily impact other than through off peak day times…eg Xmas etc. Pay staff more but get shit done us the goal. Making that palatable for voters is secondary. And planning for live inception is weeks not years…just do it, like Puma Smith said …or was it Greek victors Nike Murpholopos

    5
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    Mute Ruairi Hickey
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    Mar 29th 2019, 6:39 AM

    I lived in Japan for a few years in the 90s and while we were there our local train station was moved from a 2 platform, 2 line overground station to a 4 platform underground station without a single interruption to the service. They were then able to build on top of this.
    4 years is a joke.

    Ruairi

    69
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    Mute Shane Murphy
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    Mar 29th 2019, 8:16 AM

    @Ruairi Hickey: that’s what happens when they have four supervisors and one worker!

    24
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    Mute 8kyPERIe
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    Mar 29th 2019, 9:46 AM

    @Ruairi Hickey: Look at any other major city in tbe developed world & you will see a better model. If I remember correctly, Dublin is used as a sample of how not to build a city due to our urban sprawl and over emphasis on car travel over city trams etc

    26
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    Mute Cllr. Shay Brennan
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    Mar 29th 2019, 9:19 AM

    So options are:

    1) Close minor rd in Ranelagh, disrupt Luas for 3mts, have full metro to Sandyford

    2) Keep minor rd in Ranelagh open, increase costs to lengthen tunnel, disrupt Luas for 4yrs, have full Metro

    3) Keep minor rd in Ranelagh open, increase costs to lengthen tunnel, disrupt Luas for 8mts – 12 mts to lengthen platforms for longer trams, have no Metro

    Looks like we’re heading for option 3!!!

    41
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    Mute Tom
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    Mar 29th 2019, 9:27 AM

    @Cllr. Shay Brennan:
    Indeed.

    This fact check is BS anyway because the four years plan was one they were forced to prepare only for those demanding it to then turn around and beat the planners over the head with it.

    This tactic will be rolled out for every future infrastructure project!

    Invent a worse case scenario and then point at it with the ‘dailymail sad face’!

    18
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    Mute Shane Murphy
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    Mar 29th 2019, 10:09 AM

    @Cllr. Shay Brennan: you have my vote shay! I’ll see you on Wednesday!

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    Mute Shane Murphy
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    Mar 29th 2019, 10:10 AM

    @Cllr. Shay Brennan: you have my vote shay! I’ll see you on Wednesday! The time lines for all this work seem ridiculous, I’d like to know what they have been in other countries with similar projects!

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    Mute joe
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    Mar 29th 2019, 10:11 AM

    @Cllr. Shay Brennan: nail on the head!

    2
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    Mute joe
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    Mar 29th 2019, 10:14 AM

    @Tom: 100% agree. Don’t know what the Journal’s agenda is on this (does someone on their team live near beechwood?) but the 4 years thing is a complete fallacy!

    5
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    Mute Brigid Ní Raghallaigh
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    Mar 29th 2019, 1:50 PM

    @Cllr. Shay Brennan: Surely the residents of the minor road were in favour of closing it or turning it into a cul de sac..? Isn’t that the dream, or am I missing something?

    1
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    Mute Dublin YIMBY
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    Mar 29th 2019, 2:01 PM

    @Cllr. Shay Brennan: Not quite – option 3 will also eventually result in the closure of that minor road to cars due to the increased frequency of Luas trams crossing it!

    The short-sightedness of these locals astounds me!

    3
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    Mute Shane Murphy
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    Mar 29th 2019, 4:53 PM

    @Dublin YIMBY: the locals aren’t making the decisions. It’s the spineless politicians on cost and with an eye on the elections. Hopefully they lose more votes than they win from this farce !

    1
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    Mute Cormac McKay Dublin
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    Mar 29th 2019, 12:42 AM

    Listen what ever the NTA’s plan is delivering 20th century transport infrastructure in 8 years time in 2027 is going to be obsolete destructive primitive outdated overpriced transport infrastructure not fit for purpose in the 21st century unless you’re in a time warp in 2027 transport infrastructure technology is going to be so advanced that delivering MetroLink or busconnects is going to be so primative that it’s number goal to convince people to use public transport has no chance of being achieved who the f wants to use a bus or train with self driving cars you can pay by the journey or subscription

    33
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    Mute Al Madzer
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    Mar 29th 2019, 1:15 AM

    @Cormac McKay Dublin: what now? In English with punctuation please, if possible?

    97
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    Mute Vocal Outrage
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    Mar 29th 2019, 1:44 AM

    @Cormac McKay Dublin: firstly, can we have some punctuation please, for a man who has run for election twice for DDI it’s not too much to ask.
    Secondly, if I have deciphered your code correctly your proposal is to dispense with public transport and have us all using low occupancy vehicles, irrelevant if they are self drive or not, I’d have though all the roads that will have to be built to service such an inefficient means of transport would also be considered primitive

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    Mute Barra O Brien
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    Mar 29th 2019, 2:22 AM

    @Cormac McKay Dublin: Are you suggesting a Dublin loop or do you think self driving cars eliminate traffic?

    23
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    Mute Ian McNally
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    Mar 29th 2019, 7:51 AM

    @Cormac McKay Dublin: ahh cormac DDI never disappoint with their raving conspiracy theories and magical unicorn solutions

    13
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    Mute Mushy Peas
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    Mar 29th 2019, 8:43 AM

    @Cormac McKay Dublin: in all seriousness, I would never vote for someone using English in that fashion. Cormac, if you wish to run for public office, I suggest you present yourself better to the electorate.

    12
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    Mute Fr. Fintan Stack
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    Mar 29th 2019, 9:09 AM

    @Cormac McKay Dublin: cormacyourtheorymaybecorrectorpieintheskybuticantfullyunderstandit

    10
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    Mute Cormac McKay Dublin
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    Mar 29th 2019, 4:02 PM

    @Fr. Fintan Stack: As someone who is dyslexic English writing is not my strength.

    2
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    Mute Cormac McKay Dublin
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    Mar 29th 2019, 4:03 PM

    @Vocal Outrage: as someone who is dyslexic English writing is not my strength!

    1
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    Mute Wreck Tangle
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    Mar 29th 2019, 4:21 PM

    @Cormac McKay Dublin:

    Try spellcheck. It’s one of the many 20th century solutions that’s fit for purpose in the 21st century!

    4
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    Mute Fr. Fintan Stack
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    Mar 29th 2019, 6:31 PM

    @Cormac McKay Dublin: OK appologiies . I put my foot in it didn’t I.

    1
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    Mute steve white
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    Mar 29th 2019, 12:15 AM

    the question should be was disrupting the luas for 4 years the only way to the metro all the way?

    21
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    Mute joe
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    Mar 29th 2019, 9:04 AM

    It is completely false! Four years was only to keep nimbys in Ranelagh happy. The plan was 3 months and they should have stuck by it!

    22
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    Mute Dublin Commuter Coalition
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    Mar 29th 2019, 10:18 AM

    The Green Line is 19km long.
    The section between Charlemont and Sandyford is 7.5km long and was the only section to be effected.

    For a Fact Check article to state that 39% of the Green Line being disrupted means that the entire line would be closed is amateurish.

    16
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    Mute Wreck Tangle
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    Mar 29th 2019, 1:45 PM

    These stories drive me crazy. Dublin is a capital city with too many people forced to drive private vehicles because the transport system is substandard. In order to improve this, people have to accept that they will face inconvenience! If everyone says not near my house, then nothing can change.

    I’m lucky to live in Zurich where I can travel anywhere in the city by public transport. It’s normally less convenient to travel by car! It’s true some streets are divided by tram lines etc. but it benefits the overall population living here.

    11
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    Mute Shane Murphy
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    Mar 29th 2019, 8:11 AM

    The plan is now for a tram to cross dunville avenue every minute at peak time. It will be the Berlin Wall of trams, effectively shutting dunville Avenue. It’s the length of closure on parts of he green line and cost to go further out by tunnel , that has brought us to where we are! The cost of this is astronomical by Irish standards for an infrastructure project ;we will be lucky if this proposed scheme even gets built. If they won’t tunnel a little further due to cost, they are never, EVER! Tunneling to some pipe dream location of eamon Ryan’s. Now hurry up and get the tbm in the ground before the next recession, I can see this project being canned , like metro north, when economic circumstances change again! Which they probably will before the tbm is in the ground …

    10
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    Mute paul kelly
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    Mar 29th 2019, 3:04 PM

    I wonder is the billion plus overrun on the NCH anything to do with it?

    4
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