Green Line (Luas)

The Green Line (Irish: Líne Uaine) is one of the two lines of Dublin's Luas light rail system. The Green Line was formerly entirely in the south side of Dublin city. It mostly follows the route of the old Harcourt Street railway line, which was reserved for possible re-use when it closed in 1958. The Green Line allows for passenger transfers at O’ Connell GPO and Marlborough to Luas Red Line services and also allows commuters to use Broombridge as an interchange station to reach outer suburbs such as Castleknock and Ongar.

Luas Green Line
Dublin-bound Luas after passing over the R118 north of Cherrywood
Overview
Type	Light rail
Status	Operational
Locale	Ireland
Termini	Broombridge Parnell Sandyford Brides Glen
Stations	35
Operation
Opened	30 June 2004
Owner	Transport Infrastructure Ireland
Operator(s)	Transdev
Character	Primary
Depot(s)	Broombridge-Hamilton Sandyford
Technical
Line length	12-mile (19 km)
Number of tracks	Double track
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	750 V DC Overhead catenary
Route map Dublin–Sligo line westbound Broombridge Dublin–Sligo line eastbound Depot Cabra Phibsborough Grangegorman Broadstone – DIT Dominick Parnell O'Connell Upper O'Connell - GPO Marlborough Red Line Abbey Street O'Connell Bridge │ River Liffey │ Rosie Hackett Bridge Westmoreland Trinity Dawson St Stephen's Green Harcourt Grand Canal Charlemont Ranelagh Beechwood Cowper Milltown River Dodder Windy Arbour Dundrum Balally Kilmacud Stillorgan Sandyford Depot Central Park M50 Glencairn The Gallops Leopardstown Valley Ballyogan Wood M50 Racecourse (unused) Carrickmines Brennanstown (unused) Laughanstown Cherrywood Wyattville Link Road Brides Glen

The Green Line from St Stephen's Green to Sandyford launched on 30 June 2004. An extension to the Bride's Glen stop at Cherrywood was opened on 16 October 2010.

As of 2018, the Green line is operating at near maximum capacity during the morning and evening rush hours, and it experiences mass overcrowding and congestion at these times. To assist in alleviating this congestion, seven new longer trams came into service in 2018, with a further eight entering service in 2020. Platforms between St Stephen's Green and Sandyford have been lengthened to accommodate the new trams.[1]

Course of the line

The section south of St Stephen's Green makes significant re-use of the old Harcourt Street railway line while the northbound route of the newer Cross City section mainly re-uses the old Midland Great Western Railway line after skirting the former site of Broadstone railway works and station.

Southern section

Between Harcourt Street and Charlemont, the Green Line takes a large loop east around buildings which did not exist between 1859 and 1959. As such, there is no train bridge on Adelaide Road for the current line, as there had been for the Harcourt Street Line.

The line then follows the old alignment of the Harcourt Street line from Charlemont station as far as the current Sandyford stop (known as "Stillorgan" on the Harcourt Street line). After Sandyford the line detours over the Leopardstown Road/Brewery Road junction so as to run west around the Leopardstown Racecourse before rejoining the original alignment just north of Carrickmines.[2] The Harcourt Street line had run around the eastern edge of the racecourse, via Silverpark. Remnants of the old Foxrock Station are visible at the back of The Hedgerows in Foxrock. The route deviation was seemingly intended to serve the new properties that would have been built during the "Celtic Tiger" boom, before the Extension was open.

After this detour around Leopardstown Racecourse, the current line runs roughly along the original alignment with some minor detours, particularly prevalent at Laughanstown.

The Carrickmines/Bride's Glen section was also intended to have terminated into what should have a "Celtic Tiger" town centre, similar to the Tallaght area stops, until the Line B2 extension to Fassaroe/Bray was built. This is why, as of 2018, this end of the Green Line seemingly goes to the middle of nowhere, through fields, as nearly all the property that was intended to be serviced by the line, was never built. This is also why there were unused "Ghost" stops built, to serve these unbuilt areas.

There are some other cosmetic differences between the Harcourt Street Line and the current Green Line, such as the positioning of the Ranelagh stop. The location of Ranelagh on the former line was at the current Beechwood stop. The old Ranelagh stop was the last stop on the old line before the train reached the city.

Luas Cross City

Luas Cross City (Irish: Luas Traschathrach), formerly called Luas BXD, is an extension to the Green Line which runs from St. Stephen's Green to Broombridge railway station.[3]

Construction of Luas Cross City began in June 2013 and it opened on 9 December 2017.[4][5] The Rosie Hackett Bridge carrying the new line over the river Liffey was opened on 20 May 2014.

The new section begins at the former city centre terminus, St. Stephen's Green, crosses the Red Line near the Abbey stop, and continues northwards, terminating at Broombridge station. There it connects passengers using Iarnród Éireann commuter services to Maynooth railway station and M3 Parkway railway station.

Stops

Image	Name Name in Irish	Zone	Location	Transport interchange	Serves
	Broombridge Droichead Broome	Green 1	Broombridge railway station 53.372684°N 6.298975°W / 53.372684; -6.298975	Broombridge Dublin Bus routes	Tolka Valley Park Dublin Industrial Estate
	Cabra Cabrach	Green 1	Connaught Street / Fassaugh Road 53.364200°N 6.281745°W / 53.364200; -6.281745		Cabra Mount Bernard Park National Botanic Gardens Glasnevin Cemetery
	Phibsborough Baile Phib	Green 1	North Circular Road / Cabra Road 53.360235°N 6.279945°W / 53.360235; -6.279945		Phibsborough Dalymount Park St Peter's Church, Phibsborough
	Grangegorman Gráinseach Ghormáin	Green 1	Grangegorman 53.357700°N 6.277520°W / 53.357700; -6.277520	Drumcondra (walk 1.6 km / 1 mile) dublinbikes	Mater Misericordiae University Hospital Technological University Dublin
	Broadstone — DIT An Chloch Leathan — ITBhÁC	Green 1 / Central	Western Way 53.354517°N 6.272976°W / 53.354517; -6.272976	Drumcondra (walk 1.6 km / 1 mile) Dublin Bus routes dublinbikes	King's Inns 14 Henrietta Street Blessington Street Park Technological University Dublin
	Dominick Doiminic	Central	Dominick Street Lower 53.351386°N 6.265649°W / 53.351386; -6.265649	Dublin Bus routes dublinbikes	Cineworld Dublin 14 Henrietta Street DIT Bolton Street Rotunda Hospital
	Parnell	Central	Parnell Street East 53.352993°N 6.260424°W / 53.352993; -6.260424 (Southbound only)	Many bus routes on Parnell Street / Parnell Square dublinbikes	Gate Theatre James Joyce Centre Hugh Lane Gallery Dublin Writers Museum Mountjoy Square
	Marlborough Maoilbhríde	Central	Marlborough Street South 53.349843°N 6.258149°W / 53.349843; -6.258149 (Southbound only)	Luas Red Line Abbey Street (walk 100 m / 110 yds) Dublin Connolly (walk 650m / 711 yds) Dublin Bus routes dublinbikes	Department of Education and Skills St Mary's Pro-Cathedral
	Trinity An Trionóid	Central	College Street 53.345455°N 6.258085°E / 53.345455; 6.258085 (Southbound only)	Tara Street (walk 350 m / 383 yds) Many bus routes on College Green dublinbikes	College Green, Dame Street Trinity College Parliament House Olympia Theatre
	O'Connell Upper Ó Conaill Uachtarach	Central	O'Connell Street North 53.351572°N 6.261067°W / 53.351572; -6.261067 (Northbound only)	Many bus routes on O'Connell Street dublinbikes	O'Connell Street Savoy Cinema
	O'Connell, GPO Ó Conaill, AOP	Central	O'Connell Street South 53.349625°N 6.260295°W / 53.349625; -6.260295 (Northbound only)	Luas Red Line Abbey Street (walk 140 m / 150 yds) Many bus routes on O'Connell Street dublinbikes	O'Connell Street, Henry Street The Spire General Post Office
	Westmoreland	Central	Westmoreland Street 53.346070°N 6.259072°E / 53.346070; 6.259072 (Northbound only)	Tara Street (walk 450 m / ¼ mile) Dublin Bus routes	The National Wax Museum Plus Trinity College Parliament House Olympia Theatre
	Dawson Dásain	Central	Dawson Street 53.341516°N 6.258192°W / 53.341516; -6.258192	Dublin Pearse (walk 1 km / ⅔ mile) Dublin Bus routes dublinbikes	Dawson Street Grafton Street Kildare Street Leinster House St. Ann's Church, Dawson Street Kerlin Gallery Mansion House Leinster House National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology National Library of Ireland
	St. Stephen's Green Faiche Stiabhna	Central	St. Stephen's Green West 53.339179°N 6.261350°W / 53.339179; -6.261350	Tara Street (walk 1.3 km / ¾ mile) Dublin Pearse (walk 1.6 km / 1 mile) Dublin Bus routes dublinbikes	St. Stephen's Green Grafton Street Gaiety Theatre Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland Dublin Castle and Chester Beatty Library
	Harcourt Sráid Fhearchair	Central	Harcourt Street 53.333644°N 6.262734°W / 53.333644; -6.262734	Dublin Bus routes dublinbikes	National Concert Hall Iveagh Gardens Synge Street CBS
	Charlemont	Central / Green 2	Grand Parade 53.330610°N 6.258630°W / 53.330610; -6.258630	Dublin Bus routes dublinbikes	Portobello Cathal Brugha Barracks Grand Canal
	Ranelagh Raghnallach	Green 2	Ranelagh 53.326127°N 6.256212°W / 53.326127; -6.256212	Dublin Bus routes Go-Ahead Ireland routes	Ranelagh Rathmines Leinster Cricket Club Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club
	Beechwood Coill na Feá	Green 2	Dunville Avenue / Beechwood Road 53.320924°N 6.254658°W / 53.320924; -6.254658	Dublin Bus routes	Rathmines Sandford Park School
	Cowper	Green 2	Cowper Road 53.320924°N 6.254658°W / 53.320924; -6.254658	Dublin Bus routes	Dartry Gonzaga College
	Milltown Baile an Mhuilinn	Green 2	Richmond Avenue South 53.309654°N 6.251807°W / 53.309654; -6.251807	Dublin Bus routes	Milltown Golf Club Alexandra College Trinity Hall
	Windy Arbour Na Glasáin	Green 2	Churchtown Road Lower / St. Columbanus' Road 53.301759°N 6.250675°W / 53.301759; -6.250675	Dublin Bus routes	Windy Arbour, Churchtown, Clonskeagh University College Dublin (Belfield campus; walk 1.7 km / 1 mile) Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland De La Salle College Churchtown Central Mental Hospital
	Dundrum Dún Droma	Green 2/3	Dundrum / Taney Road 53.292424°N 6.245123°W / 53.292424; -6.245123	Dublin Bus routes Go-Ahead Ireland routes	Dundrum Dundrum Town Centre (main entrance)
	Balally Baile Amhlaoibh	Green 3	Drummartin 53.286030°N 6.236712°W / 53.286030; -6.236712	Dublin Bus routes Luas Park + Ride	Goatstown Dundrum Town Centre (Dundrum South) Wesley College Mount Anville Secondary School
	Kilmacud Cill Mochuda	Green 3	Benildus Avenue / Drummartin Link Road 53.282948°N 6.224090°W / 53.282948; -6.224090	Dublin Bus routes	Kilmacud St Benildus College
	Stillorgan Stigh Lorgan	Green 3	Blackthorn Avenue 53.277643°N 6.204595°W / 53.277643; -6.204595	Dublin Bus routes Luas Park + Ride	Stillorgan Beacon Hospital
	Sandyford Áth an Ghainimh	Green 3/4	Blackthorn Avenue 53.277618°N 6.204634°W / 53.277618; -6.204634	Dublin Bus routes Go-Ahead Ireland routes Luas Park + Ride	Sandyford
	Central Park An Pháirc Láir	Green 4	South County Business Park 53.270099°N 6.203786°W / 53.270099; -6.203786	Dublin Bus routes Go-Ahead Ireland routes	Leopardstown Park Hospital Leopardstown Racecourse Kilmacud Crokes GAA South County Business Park
	Glencairn Gleann an Chairn	Green 4	Murphystown Road 53.266281°N 6.209923°W / 53.266281; -6.209923	Dublin Bus routes Go-Ahead Ireland routes	Glencairn House
	The Gallops An Eachrais	Green 4	Murphystown Way 53.261157°N 6.205870°W / 53.261157; -6.205870	Dublin Bus routes Go-Ahead Ireland routes	Stepaside
	Leopardstown Valley Gleann Baile na Lobhair	Green 4	Ballyogan Road 53.258316°N 6.198373°W / 53.258316; -6.198373	Dublin Bus routes Go-Ahead Ireland routes	Leopardstown shopping centre
	Ballyogan Wood Coill Bhaile Uí Ógáin	Green 4	Ballyogan Vale 53.255078°N 6.184431°W / 53.255078; -6.184431	Dublin Bus routes Go-Ahead Ireland routes	Ballyogan The Park Carrickmines Stepaside Golf Course
	Carrickmines Carraig Mhaighin	Green 5	Glenamuck Road North 53.254350°N 6.171621°W / 53.254350; -6.171621	Dublin Bus routes Go-Ahead Ireland routes Luas Park + Ride	Carrickmines, Cabinteely, Foxrock, Cornelscourt Carrickmines Golf Club
	Laughanstown Baile an Lachnáin	Green 5	Laughanstown (Lehaunstown) 53.250636°N 6.154953°W / 53.250636; -6.154953		Cabinteely
	Cherrywood Coill na Sílíní	Green 5	Cherrywood Park / Valley Drive 53.245382°N 6.145839°W / 53.245382; -6.145839	Dublin Bus routes Go-Ahead Ireland routes	Cherrywood Cherrywood Business Park
	Brides Glen Gleann Bhríde	Green 5	Cherrywood Business Park 53.241870°N 6.142782°W / 53.241870; -6.142782	Dublin Bus routes Go-Ahead Ireland routes	Cherrywood, Loughlinstown, St. Columcille's Hospital

Bridges

The line re-uses some existing bridges and viaducts and has had new bridges specially constructed. The new build William Dargan Bridge at Dundrum crosses the Slang River. The River Liffey is crossed by the new Rosie Hackett Bridge southbound and the existing O'Connell Bridge northbound. The River Dodder is crossed by the Nine Arches Bridge originally constructed for the Harcourt Street railway line in 1854.

Depots

The Green line initially was provisioned with a works depot just past the Sandyford terminus and opposite the old Stillorgan Railway station building. The depot could stable 32 trams.[6] When the Green line was extended to Broombridge a further depot was constructed over part of the old Liffey Junction site. It was named Hamilton Depot in honour of William Rowan Hamilton who developed the quaternion mathematical number system.[7] The primary control facility for the Luas system for such functions as power and signally lies at the Red line Luas depot at Red Cow. Following a storm damage incident in October 2017 at Red Cow it was found the depots at Broombridge and Sandyford were not able to take over the function and the whole Luas system was suspended for two days.[8]

Planned developments

Green Line upgrade to metro

A portion of the Luas Green Line between Charlemont and Sandyford was built with the eventual intention that it be upgraded to carry metro services.[9] In the development of rail based public transport in Greater Dublin, it was envisaged that Metro North would be completed and operating by 2012.[10] It was further planned under the Platform for Change[11] that Metro South, due to operate from St. Stephen's Green to Sandyford would follow this by, according to the Platform for Change, 2020.

However, due to the Great Recession, Metro North was delayed until 2015 at which point it was revived as the "new Metro North".[12] At this stage, efforts were undertaken by the National Transport Authority to improve upon the original Metro North design and alignment. Originally, Metro North's 2012 alignment would connect to Iarnród Éireann's Western Commuter line at Drumcondra. However, new consideration was given by the NTA in the intervening period between 2015 and 2018 to divert the metro line from Drumcondra to Cross Guns Bridge, a point where the Western and South Western Commuter lines meet. Diverting to this area and building a brand new station called Glasnevin would enable the Metro to interchange with two rail lines both of which, would be high frequency DART lines[13] at the time of the metro's opening. As the scale of the new metro North project grew, the decision was made to upgrade the Green Line from Charlemont to Sandyford to metro standard and connect it to Metro North all at once. This decision was made due to the Green Line's overcapacity issues.[14] It was forecast that without an increase of capacity and frequency the tram service provided by the Green Line would eventually become dangerously overcrowded. When the new project was announced to the public in 2018, it was announced as MetroLink, a metro line running from Swords, under Dublin Airport to Dublin city centre, emerging in the Charlemont area, before continuing on the newly upgraded Green Line to Sandyford.

Green Line upgrade deferred

If completed as was planned, metro trains would replace Luas trams between Ranelagh and Sandyford, with a new station interchange between the two lines at Charlemont (Luas trams would continue from Charlemont north to Broombridge. The Luas would also continue operating between Sandyford and Bride's Glen).[15]

During the public consultation process for this proposal, Dublin City Council submitted that a large sewer was blocking the path of where the tunnel was planned to emerge, just south of the existing Charlemont tram stop.[16] This necessitated the realignment of the tunnel portal to just north of the current Beechwood Luas stop. This realignment also meant that the planned upgrade of the Luas line would grow in size from a possible 9 months to nearly 48 [17], as the tunnel boring machine needed to reach the new portal in Beechwood before the Green Line upgrade works could begin. This would therefore delay the opening of the entire Metrolink line. The constructability report detailed however, that if the Green Line Upgrade was done as a second phase to the northern section, then the northern could open on schedule. By completing the Green Line upgrade as a second phase, time savings could also be made on the upgrade works.

Status

This news, when announced in March 2019, was widely reported as the upgrade having been "shelved"[18] or "abandoned"[19] However, the project is still planned as part of the Greater Dublin Transport Strategy 2016-2035[20] which the National Transport Authoirty remains legislatively bound to pursue. In May 2019, this commitment was reaffirmed by Transport Infrastructure Ireland in an episode of 98FM's On the Move transport podcast[21]:

The goal is still, of the Strategy, to deliver a metro to Sandyford. Simply, we are not going to do it now, or in the short term.

— Paolo Carbone, Head of Public Transport Capital Programmes at Transport Infrastructure Ireland

As of April 2020, it is still the position of both Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the National Transport Authority to upgrade the Green Line from Beechwood to Sandyford to metro standard as no change has been made the Greater Dublin Transport Strategy. The Green Line Upgrade will commence at some point after Metrolink opens in 2027, as is currently planned. However, due to the economic downturn as expected from the Coronavirus disease 2019 crisis, this may be subject to change.[22]

Gallery

• 
  Dominick stop construction site on Luas Cross City line, taken in Dominick Street Lower
• 
  The Nine Arches Bridge over the River Dodder at Milltown
• 
  View of driving cab of a Luas Green Line tram
• 
  Trams pass near Cherrywood in 2010

References

1. "LUAS overcrowding". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
2. "Ordnance Survey Ireland". OSI. Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-04-16. Retrieved 2015-04-11.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
4. "Green light given to Luas link-up, first passengers 2017". RTÉ. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
5. "Taoiseach launches new Luas Cross City service in Dublin". RTÉ. 9 December 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
6. "Trams and Depots". Transport Infrastructure Ireland. Depots. Archived from the original on 10 August 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
7. "The Irish father of algebra to be honoured with new Luas depot". thejournal.ie. 16 October 2014. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
8. "Luas to improve backup plans following storm-related service disruptions". The Irish Times. 20 October 2017. Archived from the original on 3 November 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
9. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/luas-lines-being-built-to-different-standards-1.364183?mode=amp
10. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/rpa-puts-four-consortiums-on-shortlist-to-build-metro-1.961400
11. http://dttas.old.gov.ie/sites/default/files/node/add/content-publication/A%20Platform%20for%20Change%20-A%20Transportation%20Strategy%20for%20the%20Greater%20Dublin%20Area%20published%20by%20the%20Dublin%20Transportation%20Office.pdf
12. https://www.nationaltransport.ie/news/new-metro-north-will-best-address-future-transport-needs-in-swords-and-fingal-region-nta-new-line-to-run-underground-in-city-centre-and-to-serve-airport/
13. https://www.irishrail.ie/Admin/IrishRail/media/Content/DART-brochure.PDF
14. http://www.dublinontrack.ie/news/metrolink-explainer-why-there-are-few-options-left-for-upgrading-the-luas-green-line-capacity
15. "Preferred route for MetroLink revealed". Irish Independent. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
16. https://www.98fm.com/podcasts/on-the-move/episode-4-metrolink
17. https://www.metrolink.ie/assets/downloads/ConstructabilityReportGreenLineClosure.pdf
18. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/luas-closure-would-have-lasted-2-years-1.3866233?mode=sample&auth-failed=1&pw-origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.irishtimes.com%2Fnews%2Fenvironment%2Fluas-closure-would-have-lasted-2-years-1.3866233
19. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/metrolink-southside-section-is-set-to-be-abandoned-1.3800658?mode=sample&auth-failed=1&pw-origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.irishtimes.com%2Fnews%2Fenvironment%2Fmetrolink-southside-section-is-set-to-be-abandoned-1.3800658
20. https://www.nationaltransport.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Transport_Strategy_for_the_Greater_Dublin_Area_2016-2035.pdf
21. https://www.98fm.com/podcasts/on-the-move/episode-4-metrolink
22. https://www.newstalk.com/news/covid-19-capital-projects-like-dublin-metrolink-may-deferred-1003882

External links

• Luas Website
• Green Line stops on Luas website