A Dart station within walking distance of Ballyfermot Village could
be part of the planned public transport for west Dublin, the
Ballyfermot Post has learnt.

Irish Rail is looking at the possibility of creating a new station
where the Kylemore Road passes the Kildare to Heuston railway line. The
location is just over ten minutes walk from Ballyfermot Village.
It is even closer to the back of the media building at Ballyfermot
College of Further Education, although the back gates are currently
locked.

“I’ve talked to Irish Rail and they are considering building a train
station near the Kylemore Road Luas stop,” David King, the project
manager for the Lucan Luas told this newspaper. “This will not happen
until the Kildare route is finished”.

If the station goes ahead it will fall under the expansion of the Dart
network to the Kildare and Maynooth lines. It would offer transport
users in Ballyfermot a fast rail link into the centre of Dublin and
direct connections to all rail transport in the city.

The current Northern Dart line will bypass Connolly Station and
continue on underground at the Docklands. Once past Heuston Station, it
will resurface again and  connect with the Kildare line. The
underground stations will include stops at the Docklands, Pearse
Street, the proposed transport hub at St Stephen’s Green, Christ
Church, and Heuston Station. The areas of Adamstown, Clondalkin, and
Park West will be among other places to benefit.

Meanwhile the current Southern Dart line will be linked with the
Maynooth line. The expanded Dart network will have lines crossing the
city in an x-shape.

More Darts

Unlike the Southern-Maynooth line, the new Northern-Kildare section
will be separated from traffic. With no crossings, it will offer the
potential for more Darts per minute than can be offered on the current
system.

The Dart Underground, or ‘interconnector’, could be considered as the
backbone of an integrated public transport system for Dublin. The plans
should vastly improve the rail services in the west and north-west of
the city, the south inner-city, the Docklands, and the current Northern
Dart line.

By the time of its completion the Dart network should connect the three
Luas lines, Metro North, Metro West, the two main inter-city stations,
and bus services.

The ‘four-tracking’ upgrade of the Kildare line, which will allow for a
separation of city and intercity services, is currently under
construction. Meanwhile the Dart Underground project is at an advanced
stage of planning.

The Dart project is just part of the wide scale proposed increase in
public transport for west Dublin. Other projects at this stage include
Metro West, as well as Luas lines and extensions.

Metro West will link the areas of Tallaght, Clondalkin, and
Blanchardstown. It should meet the Luas Lucan at Liffey Valley, and
have connections to Irish Rail’s Kildare and Maynooth heavy railways.

The metro line, which will be similar to the Luas, will start near the
airport and go to Tallaght. According to the Railway Procurement
Agency, Metro West is expected to exceed the 20 million passengers mark
each year and is estimated to be built by 2014.

Transfers to the railways will provide a link to the city centre, while
a transfer to Metro North will allow access to the airport and Swords
without the need to enter the city.

The projects are being set up within the Transport 21 plan, which was
put in place by the government in 2005. It will see a capital
investment spend in Ireland’s transport system to the tune of