PRESS RELEASE - 15 May 2019
Late last night, the Beechwood based group, Rethink Metrolink published images of signs they have begun erecting in the area. Calling on people to submit requests to the NTA to cancel Charlemont Metro Station.
The reason for this is being purported as being about protecting residential streets, but the clear intention is to make the Green Line Upgrade impossible.
The Green Line Upgrade was rescheduled to happen after Metrolink was operational. By doing so the disruption to Green Line operations can be reduced from 4 years to 9 months, and reports show further study can further reduce this time. The new designs on the metrolink website show the underpasses for walking and cycling due to be built along the line. The two issues that Rethink Metrolink had with the upgrade have been addressed but are now trying to remove Metro access from Charlemont, one of the busiest stations on the Green Line.
This has gone beyond merely looking to keep access for pedestrians and cyclists over the line, this is an attempt to butcher a high quality high capacity public transport that will serve all areas from Ranelagh as far as Bray, and will fundamentally endanger the viability of Cherrywood as a Strategic Development Zone and the some 7,500 homes due to be built there.
Dublin Commuter Coalition condemns this action and encourages all users of public transport in South and wider Dublin to submit a submission to Metrolink to call for a Metro station for Charlemont and protect the eventual Green Line Upgrade for the benefit of commuters and residents right across the city.