I have consistently made the point that the Luas Green line is dangerously overcrowded, particularly during peak commuter time. The NTA’s own statistics show demand has risen by over 22% in the past 5 years.

I have actively campaigned to have the Green Line upgraded to a full Metro.

Increasing Luas frequency won’t go anywhere close to accommodating the tens of thousands of new users that will want to avail of the service once developments such as Cherrywood, Glenamuck and Carrickmines are complete.

A metro line with 60-metre trains would increase capacity to 500 per train, because there is no interaction with traffic frequency and speed can be increased to a train every 90 seconds. It is estimated that a metro line could carry 3 to 5 times as many passengers per day at the Luas.

The Luas tracks were designed and built to accommodate an upgrade to Metro standard. The claim that the Green line would close for four years was greatly misleading and has since been drastically revised downward.

I strongly believe that the decision to cancel the upgrade of the Green line to Sandyford to a full Metro was short sighted and will prove detrimental to our economy and well-being. I will always continue to actively campaign to complete this upgrade.