How do level crossings prioritise cars?

The letter below appeared in The Irish Times yesterday and below that the article to which the letter is referring. Anyone who reads the article is sure to ask the same question Peter O'Gorman asks.

The relevant sentence is underlined. 

Sir, – I read the article “Irish Rail seeks to close five level crossings” (August 31st) in a state of some confusion.

That confusion centred on the assertion by the Rail Users Ireland group that the level crossings “prioritise cars”.

When the train is coming, the gates close, and the cars wait. The trains do not wait. Perhaps the group could elaborate and explain exactly how this arrangement favours cars. – Yours, etc,

PETER O’GORMAN,

Sandymount,

Dublin 4.

TIM O’BRIEN

Irish Rail has confirmed it wants to close all five level crossings along the south Co Dublin train line, as recommended by consultants employed to oversee the Dart+ improvement project.

An unpublished report, prepared by Arup for Irish Rail, notes that the “emerging preferred option” for the Coastal South section of Dart+ would involve the permanent closure of the crossings at Lansdowne Road, Serpentine Avenue, Sandymount Avenue, Sydney Parade and Merrion Gates.

It recommended that an underpass for vehicular traffic be built north of the existing Merrion Gates, which link Merrion Road with Strand Road and is regarded as one of the worst traffic bottlenecks in Dublin, along with pedestrian and cycle crossings to replace the other four gated level crossings for vehicles.

The report, which runs to 681 pages, was delivered to Irish Rail in May 2022, but its conclusions have not yet been subject to public consultation. It focuses on Dart+ Coastal South.

The overall project would see the length of electrified rail lines increase from 50km – between Greystones, Co Wicklow, and Malahide, Co Dublin – to 150km. The extended network would serve Drogheda, Co Louth, and Maynooth, Co Kildare, and the M3 Parkway near Dunboyne, Co Meath.

The report acknowledges the closure of the level crossings “in the absence of suitable mitigation may have an impact on traffic in terms of connectivity, additional delays or queuing in the wider area”.

The four-year delay in progressing the report’s recommendations was criticised by the Rail Users Ireland campaign group, which obtained a copy under Freedom of Information laws.

Mark Gleeson, the group’s spokesman, said the closure of the Merrion Gates crossing “was first discussed in the late 1970s”.

Cars over train

“Dart passengers have suffered for 42 years from a compromise which prioritises private cars over the train,” he said. “The proposals from Irish Rail/Arup offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to replace Merrion Gates and to dramatically improve rail performance and capacity.

“While some of the recommendations will clearly raise concerns, Irish Rail sitting on the report for over four years without starting public consultation is ridiculous.”

A spokesman for Irish Rail said Dart+ was a phased project, with the Bray to Greystones element of the Coastal South section progressing first.

“The remainder of the route, including the level crossings element, will not progress until 2030 at the earliest,” he said.

“The long-term goal to include the closure of the road/rail interface at the level crossings on the southside.”

The report notes that the five level crossings are closed to vehicular traffic between 41 per cent and 83 per cent of the time from 8am to 9am. The most frequently closed was Sydney Parade and the least was the Merrion Gates.

It notes that there were 28,000 vehicle movements across the five level crossings in a single day, with almost half of these (11,400) through the Merrion Gates. There were 4,900 at Serpentine Avenue, followed by Sydney Parade Avenue (4,600), Sandymount Avenue (3,900) and Lansdowne Road (3,200).