2. Progress on Prior Strategy

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2. Executive Summary

The outcomes of the prior Strategy implementation include:

• Increase in the use of sustainable modes for travel into Dublin City in the morning peak, from 66% (2015) to 72% (2019);
• Reduction in the use of cars to enter Dublin City Centre in the morning peak, from 65,000 (2015) to 58,000 (2019);
• Growth in daily passenger trips on Irish Rail services in the GDA, from 119,000 (2015) to 150,000 (2019);
• Increase in total passenger trips on Dublin Metropolitan Area bus services, from 120 million (2015) to 153 million (2019);
• Growth in total passenger trips on the Luas system, from 35 million (2015) to 48 million (2019); and
• 87% customer satisfaction among public transport users (2019).

A number of schemes from the prior Strategy are already in development and these will be carried forward into the new Transport Strategy, including:

• Metrolink – a Railway Order application will be made in 2022;
• DART+ West – a Railway Order application will be made in 2021;
• Luas Finglas –a public consultation on its Emerging Preferred Route has been completed and it is expected that a Railway Order application will be submitted in 2023/2024;
• BusConnects Dublin Core Bus Corridors – the first tranche of planning applications will be lodged with An Bord Pleanála in 2021;
• BusConnects Dublin new services network – implementation has commenced and will continue throughout 2022, 2023 and into 2024;
• Cycle network – a major programme of cycling expansion is underway, which will deliver many of the priority routes of the planned cycle network;
• Safe Routes to School – this programme, which commenced in 2020, will deliver significant enhancements to the sustainable transport environment at and close to schools; and
• Public Transport Fleet expansion:
  • 219 double-deck hybrid buses will be delivered over 2020 and 2021 for deployment on the Dublin region services;
  • 100 fully electric double deck buses will be delivered during 2022;
  • Up to 600 electric/ battery-electric carriages for DART, will be delivered from 2024 onwards; and
  • 41 extra Intercity rail carriages will be delivered in 2022, providing additional rail capacity in the GDA.

2. Progress made on the Prior Strategy 

Since the prior transport strategy was approved by Government in 2016, the NTA, along with the Councils, other transport delivery agencies and transport operators, have worked hard to build and develop that strategy’s projects and proposals. Major progress in the last four years includes:

• In conjunction with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), in December 2017 we opened Luas Cross City, linking the Red and Green lines and providing an interchange between commuter rail and Luas at Broombridge.
• In conjunction with TII, as part of the Luas capacity, enhancement project, the length of trams on the Green Line and the size of the overall tram fleet have both been increased. All of the existing trams on the Green Line have been extended to 55-metres, and the overall tram fleet has grown from 67 trams in 2016 to 81 trams today.
• In conjunction with Iarnród Éireann, passenger services were reintroduced into the refurbished Phoenix Park Tunnel in 2016, providing direct rail access from the suburbs and towns of the south west of the region into Dublin City Centre.
• In 2018, a 10-minute all-day DART service was introduced. 
• A major upgrade of the city centre railway signalling system was completed in 2020, which allows a signifi cant increase in the number of trains that can operate in the central city area, including a 50% increase in the number of trains able to cross the Loop Line Bridge over the Liffey.

2.2 Walking and Cycling

• We have invested tens of millions of euros in walking and cycling across the Greater Dublin Area since 2016, and signifi cant additional investment for these modes was provided under the Covid-19 and Stimulus programmes in 2020. 
• Some example projects include the new cycleway along the seafront in Clontarf, the off-road pedestrian/cycling route between Baldoyle and Portmarnock, and the Royal Canal Greenway from North Strand Road into the Docklands, among numerous other schemes delivered across the GDA.

2.3 Bus

• We have commenced the largest ever investment programme in our bus network under BusConnects Dublin. This will deliver high levels of bus priority on all the main corridors and a signifi cantly improved service network.
• The NTA has invested heavily in the renewal of the bus infrastructure, including bus stopping facilities, Real Time Passenger Information and fleet improvements.
• The size of the bus fleet providing the publicly subsidised bus services in the Dublin region has increased by 180 vehicles since the start of 2016, to comprise 1,139 buses in the fl eet at the end of 2020.
• Increased investment in the rural Local Link services, notably in Kildare, Meath, Wicklow and Fingal counties.

2.4 Roads

• The Strategic Road Network in the GDA has continued to evolve, with modifi cations and safety improvements in all counties. 
• The M7 enhancement project and Osberstown Interchange are now complete, improving national road accessibility to strategic employment locations on this corridor.
• Numerous other regional and local road projects have also been completed, such as the Donabate Distributor Road and roads serving the Cherrywood Strategic Development Zone.

2.5 Integration

• The Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy was adopted by the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly (EMRA) in June 2019, with transport related inputs aligned with the existing transport strategy. This coordination between the NTA and EMRA ensured that land use and transport planning was appropriately integrated at the regional level.
• The NTA made over 200 submissions on Development Plans, Local Area Plans and Planning Applications in the GDA. These submissions have led to closer integration between land use planning and transport, including the protection of future transport project alignments.
• The Real Time Passenger Information and Journey Planner services have been continually updated and expanded.

2.6 Outcomes

• The share of people travelling in to Dublin City Centre by sustainable modes in the morning peak period has increased from 66% in 2015 to 72% in 2019;
• The number of cars entering the city centre between 7 am and 10 am has fallen from 65,000 in 2015 to 58,000 in 2019, while the total person trips has increased from under 200,000 to 217,000 over the same period.
• The total passengers carried daily by Irish Rail services in the Dublin region rose from 28 million in 2015 to over 35 million in 2019, with its peak hour mode share also growing.
• The total passengers carried by Metropolitan bus services annually in Dublin grew from 120 million in 2015 to 153 million in 2019.
• The total passengers carried by Luas grew from 35 million in 2015 to 48 million in 2019.
• The 2019 Customer Satisfaction Survey carried out on behalf of the NTA showed 87% of public transport users to be satisfi ed with their public transport services.

2.7 Forthcoming Schemes

• Metrolink – a Railway Order application will be made in 2022.

• DART+ West – a Railway Order application will be made in 2022.

• Luas Finglas – a public consultation on its Emerging Preferred Route has been completed and it is expected that a Railway Order application will be submitted in 2023/2024.

• BusConnects Dublin Core Bus Corridors – the fi rst tranche of planning applications will be lodged with An Bord Pleanála in 2021.

• BusConnects Dublin new services network – implementation has commenced and will continue throughout 2022, 2023 and into 2024.

• Cycle network – a major programme of cycling expansion is underway, which will deliver many of the priority routes of the planned cycle network.

• Safe Routes to School – this programme, which commenced in 2020, will deliver signifi cant enhancements to the sustainable transport environment at and close to schools.

• Public Transport Fleet expansion:

  • 219 double-deck hybrid buses will be delivered prior to end 2021 for deployment on the Dublin region services; 

  • 100 fully electric double deck buses will be delivered during 2022;

  • 41 extra Intercity rail carriages will be delivered in 2022, providing additional rail capacity in the GDA; and

  • Up to 600 electric/battery-electric carriages for DART, will be delivered from 2024 onwards.