Approval for the Luas Finglas subproject was granted today (October 30th) by An Coimisiún Pleanála. The plan is to extend the green line from its current terminus by a further four stops to Charlestown. The project is estimated to be completed by 2031 and cost €600 million.
The route will be 3.9 km in length and will stop at St Helena’s, Finglas Village, and St Margaret’s Road before ending in Charlestown. In their press release, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) claim that this will reduce the current 44-minute morning journey from Charlestown to Trinity College by approximately 14 minutes.
Speaking on the improved connectivity the project will offer, Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien said, “Luas Finglas will offer thousands of Dubliners a fast, reliable, sustainable way to get around the city”. “By reducing journey times,” he added, “the project will also support the development of housing and businesses along the route.”
Trams are set to run every seven and a half minutes, about five minutes faster than the current average past Parnell.
A park-and-ride facility with 350 spaces will also be built at St Margaret’s Road, which offers proximity to the M50 and N2. TII estimates 56,000 people will benefit from the project by 2035.
The project may cause compulsory acquisition processes. TII says they have already been in touch with affected property owners and “will keep in close contact with them throughout the process”.
TII’s chief executive chief executive Lorcan O’Connor thanked An Coimisiún Pleanála for a “timely decision”, having only submitted the proposal in November last year. However, this project has officially been in the works since 2020, having been originally intended to extend the 2017 green line extension from Stephen’s Green to Broombridge.
Development of the line has been sidelined since 2017 to focus on the Metrolink project, which was approved last week. Metrolink is expected to be completed in the mid-2030s, with construction to start in 2027.
