Today An Bord Pleanala granted planning permission for Luas BXD to Grangegorman. It will connect the existing two Luas lines and extend the service to Cabra, via Grangegorman. This is great news for Dublin, Grangegorman and Cabra and removes one of the final obstacles to the project. Now it is up to the Government to provide the funding for what will be a labour intensive project that will deliver quality transport and local employment. If the Government approve funding initial works can commence next year and passenger services could start in 2017.
The 6km BXD line will extend the Green Line from St Stephen’s Green through the city centre where it will link up with the Red Line at the junction of O’Connell St and Abbey St. It will then go to Broombridge near Cabra where it will link up with the Maynooth commuter rail line. A stop is also planned for the new DIT campus at Grangegorman which will be home to more than 10,000 DIT students when up and running.
Last year the project had suffered a terrible blow when the Government had cut capital funding but recognising their earlier mistake they recently reversed their decision and included more than €100m for Grangegorman in their recent stimulus package. The campus design was always based on public transport and ABPs decision to grant permission for Luas BXD is extremely important for the success of the project. Mary
