DART+ South West

Anybody can make an observation about the Railway Order to the planning authority, i.e. An Bord Pleanála but there are different conditions depending on whether or not your property is referenced in the Railway Order.

All observations must be received by An Bord Pleanála by 5.30pm on 16^th May 2023.
1. Potentially Impacted Properties (including homes and businesses) who are referenced in the Railway Order, i.e. you received a pack showing drawings of how your property may be impacted can make an observation as follows

No Fee required
Include your full name and address
Email to SIDS@pleanala.ie

or

By Post DART+ South West Railway Order application

Strategic Infrastructure Developments,
An Bord Pleanála
64 Marlborough St
Dublin 1
D01 V902
2. Members of the public / organisations who are NOT referenced in the Railway Order, can make an observation, as follows:

Pay a €50 fee
Include your full name and address
On website www.abp.ie

or

POST to

DART+ South West Railway Order application
Strategic Infrastructure Developments,
An Bord Pleanála
64 Marlborough St
Dublin 1
D01 V902

The starting principle for the Project is to upgrade the existing railway corridor and to undertake all works, within the railway corridor. This can be achieved over the majority of the route, including building on the groundwork carried out under the original Kildare Route Project, which delivered the existing four track system and several reconstructed bridges from Hazelhatch & Celbridge Station to Park West & Cherry Orchard Station. The last remaining significant constraint is the area between Park West and Heuston Station, where four tracks reduce to two tracks. Extending to four tracks in this area will require an increase in the width of the existing rail corridor and this will have a potential impact on adjoining property owners.
Six substations are proposed at intervals along the rail line to provide power to the network. Four are located on lands owned by CIÉ’s adjacent to the rail corridor. The preferred location for the Park West and Kylemore substations is on third party land, requiring land acquisition.

Underground soil anchors are proposed for DART+ South West to support retaining walls. The type and height of the wall required will depend on the location.

Underground soil anchors are standard practice internationally to reinforce walls and slopes adjacent to railway lines and motorways. Examples of other projects Iarnród Éireann locations where soil anchors are used include: Grand Canal Dock Station, Kent Station Cork and Tara St. Station There are also examples of their use in the UK, France, Germany, Italy.

Iarnród Éireann embarked on an extensive engagement with property owners and residents along the route, where soil anchors are proposed between September and December 2022. We will continue to engage with each landowner in relation to their individual situation, if the planning application is approved by An Bord Pleanála. Any substratum acquisition requirement will be determined and refined during the detailed Design Stage so it may reduce, but it cannot be increased. This detailed design stage will take place following the granting of planning permission by An Bord Pleanála.

We have completed Public Consultation No. 2 and the project team continued to undertake environmental and technical studies towards preparing the planning application (called a Railway Order application). That process is nearing completion and we expect to submit the planning application to An Bord Pleanála this winter. During ongoing design development, it has emerged that some impacts on properties may have changed.
We are currently engaging with the owner and occupiers of the potentially impacted properties.
We expect to lodge an application for Railway Order with An Bord Pleanala this winter.

Underground soil anchors are metal rods that are inserted underground at an angle. They are designed to provide support to retaining walls to prevent movement, which protects the railway line and adjoining properties. For the DART+ South West project, underground soil anchors will need to be installed under the ground on either side of the railway line to support the retaining walls between the railway lines and adjacent properties.

Underground soil anchors are an established solution employed internationally, including for motorways and LUAS lines in Ireland.
Iarnród Éireann will own the soil anchors installed underneath the property.
Examples of future works that might impact underground soil anchors include:

Digging foundations for a house extension
Installation of wells or any other deep installations that may conflict with the anchor’s system
Installation of underground structures such as a basement carpark or gym

Track layout will remain unaltered between Hazelhatch & Celbridge Station and the Park West
& Cherry Orchard Station and no trains will be closer than at present to property boundaries in between these stations. Four locations are identified for substations along and adjacent to this section of the railway corridor at Hazelhatch, Adamstown, Kishoge and Park West; and may be new railway infrastructure development for the immediate locality.
Between Park West & Cherry Orchard Station to Heuston Station widening of the railway corridor and completion of four tracking will move some tracks closer to properties boundaries. For this section, design development is currently in progress and specific property boundaries that may be moving close are yet to be finalised. Two locations are also identified for substations along this section at Kylemore and Islandbridge / Heuston Station; and may be new railway infrastructure development for the immediate locality.
If your property has been identified as potentially impacted by the proposals, a letter will have been delivered to your property. A dedicated landowner specialist will be available to meet with individual property owners and provide regular updates on the project. In addition, a community liaison officer will also be available to provide regular updates on the project.

If you have a query, please contact the project team. Our contact details are available here

In order to minimise construction impacts, the majority of works will be carried out within the existing rail corridor, where possible.
The retaining wall solution along both the north and south sides of the rail corridor where it is to be extended to four tracks may require the temporary acquisition of lands in third party ownership the duration of the works to facilitate the construction of retaining structures. Further design development and construction related solutions will seek to minimise this impact.
In order to maintain services during the day, the majority of the construction works along the railway line itself will take place at night. Works outside of the live railway corridor can progress during the day (i.e. construction of bridges associated with bridge widening, substations, construction compounds). Every effort will be made to avoid, reduce, and/or mitigate negative impacts, however, there is likely to be some disturbance experienced by those in close proximity to the railway line caused by noise, lighting or fencing/hoarding erected associated with the construction activities. The types of construction work required at each specific location will determine the type of impact that may affect the area of your property. However, there will be general linear works required along the full length of the route, such as:
• Overhead electrification equipment along the full extent of the railway line. This will be similar in style to that currently used on the existing DART network.
• Modifications to the existing rail bridges and tunnels, such as modifications to the structure, track lowering or a combination of both.
• Signalling upgrades and additional signalling will be required to the upgraded infrastructure.
Interfaces with existing utilities, boundary treatments, drainage works, vegetation management and other ancillary works will be required along the length of the project. Upon appointment of a construction contractor a dedicated Community Liaison Officer will be put in place to communicate details of upcoming works and every potential mitigation will be put in place to minimise the disruption that may occur.
A number of construction compounds are required to facilitate construction works. Where possible construction compounds are located on lands owned by Corás Iompair Eireann
Constructions compounds also include those required to facilitate localised work, especially at bridges. Temporary acquisition of lands in third party ownership will be required.
During the operational phase, the frequency of service will increase from the current 12 trains per hour per direction to 23 trains per hour per direction (i.e. maintain the existing 12 services, with an additional 11 train services provided by DART+ South West).

Railway Order application is broadly similar to the planning application process. The project is categorised as Strategic Infrastructure Development (SID) and Iarnród Éireann applies directly to An Bord Pleanála for permission. The Railway Order application process is set out in the Transport (Railway Infrastructure) Act 2001 as amended by the Strategic Infrastructure Act 2006. Following two phases of public consultation, we will submit the Railway Order application. Any person or body may make a submission or observation in writing to An Bord Pleanála in relation to the application and / or the Environmental Impact Assessment Report and / or the compulsory acquisition requirements.

The Railway Order application will include a number of technical documents and project drawings and an Environmental Impact Assessment Report. All of these documents and drawings together with any feedback/submissions received from the public as part of the statutory public consultation process will be reviewed and considered by An Bord Pleanála before a decision on the application is made. We expect that An Bord Pleanála will conduct an Oral Hearing before they make a decision. At an Oral Hearing the authors of relevant reports and experts will give evidence on the submissions received and will be available for questioning. Further information on making a submission / observation in writing to the Board and Oral Hearing procedures are available from the Board’s website .

DART+ South West Programme is seeking to significantly increase the frequency and capacity of train services between Hazelhatch & Celbridge and Heuston/Grand Canal Dock. This can be achieved by changing to electrified, high capacity DART trains and increasing the frequency of trains. Delivery of this project will support the existing communities along the railway and support future sustainable development. It will serve all existing stations along the route as well as Kishoge Station in the future, using electrical power that has a lower carbon footprint than the existing diesel trains. The frequency and quality of service that will be provided will provide a viable transport alternative to communities along the route and help encourage people to switch from private car use. This will assist in Ireland reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transport and help combat climate change. The electrification of the rail line will predominantly follow the existing railway corridor.

Passengers who regularly travel on the Cork Mainline train service will benefit from more frequent and reliable service when the project is finished. There is currently a maximum of 12 trains per hour in each direction. After DART+ South West is completed, services will increase subject to demand to 23 trains per hour per direction (i.e. maintain the existing 12 services, with an additional 11 train services provided by DART+ South West).

Also, the type of train you will be travelling on will be different. They will be a DART type electric or battery-electric train. These trains are more environmentally friendly than the current diesel-powered trains which will contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector and supports the Governments Climate Action Plan.

The utilisation of DART trains as far as Hazelhatch & Celbridge will increase the passenger carrying capacity from approximately 5,000 to approximately 20,000 passenger per hour per direction. The project will link good quality public transport to sustainable land use management and can also assist in local regeneration, economic development and support the development of new communities along the route. This is a key objective of Project Ireland 2040 and the National Planning Framework. The integration of public transport with sustainable land use planning will reduce the dependency on private car use and ultimately support reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector.

DART+ South West will integrate with other public transport modes (other DART+ projects, Bus, Luas and proposed MetroLink) as well as walking and cycling infrastructure. This will have a positive effect on transport patterns and lifestyle choices. The provision of sustainable transport network supports options for where people live, work, study, access services and use public amenities. It can promote more active and healthy modes of travel by supporting people to walk or cycle to public transport links for onward transfer to their end destinations.

Despite the impacts of Covid-19 on public transport and passenger numbers as a whole, Iarnród Éireann, and the National Transport Authority remain firmly committed to the DART+ South West Project and supporting the implementation of Project Ireland 2040 and the National Planning Framework. DART+ South West is required to secure the long-term sustainability of public transport post-Covid life in the Greater Dublin Area and will ensure that Ireland meets its many ambitious long-term national climate change targets and in transportation going forward.

The National Transport Authority published the draft Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area 2022-2042 in November 2021. The draft Strategy identifies that forecast demand for travel, when considered in tandem with the need to reduce transport emissions, has shown that, over the lifetime of the Transport Strategy, there will be a requirement to further extend DART services to key locations in the GDA. An extension of the DART service on the Kildare Line to Naas / Sallins will provide additional capacity to this area, including to a planned regional Park & Ride site in this vicinity.

The delivery of Heuston West Station provides more city centre capacity and passenger options for alighting in the environs of Heuston or continuing to the city centre in the environs of Connolly / Spencer Dock / Grand Canal Dock.
The delivery of Heuston West Station also takes into consideration the current development strategy and Masterplan for the wider Heuston Station site and the surrounding environment. The Masterplan area stretches some 500m along the south bank of the River Liffey and includes the Córas Iompar Éireann owned site on the north bank at Conyngham Road. The urban design proposals are to facilitate development of a new city quarter on the western edge of the city centre, incorporating an integrated inter-modal transport hub centred on the existing station, a new retail and commercial core, and a residential neighbourhood all with a high focus on the provision of open space

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