Irish Rail has confirmed that its long-term goal is to close all five road level crossings along the south Dublin DART line as part of the wider Dart+ project.
The crossings at Lansdowne Road, Serpentine Avenue, Sandymount Avenue, Sydney Parade and Merrion Gates have been identified for permanent closure under the emerging preferred option for Dart+ Coastal South.
However, the plans are not happening immediately. Irish Rail says the level crossing element will not progress until 2030 at the earliest, with the Bray to Greystones section of the Coastal South project being prioritised first.
An unpublished report prepared by consultants Arup for Irish Rail recommends replacing the existing road crossings with alternative arrangements.
Under the proposal, a new underpass for vehicles would be built north of Merrion Gates, allowing traffic to travel between Merrion Road and Strand Road without crossing the railway line.
The other four crossings would be replaced by pedestrian and cycling crossings, meaning they would no longer be open to vehicles.
Merrion Gates is regarded as one of Dublin's major traffic bottlenecks and has been the subject of discussions about possible closure for decades.
The Arup report was delivered to Irish Rail in May 2022 but its recommendations have not yet been put through public consultation.
The 681-page report focuses on Dart+ Coastal South, one part of the wider Dart+ programme, which aims to modernise the rail network and significantly increase capacity across the Greater Dublin Area.
The overall Dart+ project would increase the amount of electrified railway from around 50km currently between Greystones and Malahide to approximately 150km.
The expanded network would eventually extend as far north as Drogheda in County Louth and westwards to Maynooth in County Kildare and the M3 Parkway near Dunboyne in County Meath.
The Arup report acknowledges that closing the level crossings could affect traffic in the surrounding areas if suitable alternative arrangements are not provided. It warns of potential impacts including additional delays, queuing and changes to connectivity.
The four-year delay in progressing the recommendations has been criticised by Rail Users Ireland, which obtained a copy of the report through a Freedom of Information request.
The campaign group's spokesman Mark Gleeson said the closure of Merrion Gates has been discussed since the late 1970s.
“Dart passengers have suffered for 42 years from a compromise which prioritises private cars over the train,” he said.
He described the proposals as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to replace Merrion Gates and improve rail performance and capacity.
Gleeson also criticised Irish Rail for not beginning public consultation after receiving the report in 2022.
“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,” he said.
Irish Rail said Dart+ is being delivered in phases, with the Bray to Greystones element of Coastal South progressing first.
A spokesman said: “The remainder of the route, including the level crossings element, will not progress until 2030 at the earliest.”
He added that the “long-term goal” of the Dart+ programme is to close the road and rail interface at the five southside level crossings.
The report also highlights the scale of the current traffic at the crossings.
Between 8am and 9am, the five crossings are closed to vehicles between 41 per cent and 83 per cent of the time. Sydney Parade is closed most frequently during that period, while Merrion Gates is closed least often.
Across a single day, there are around 28,000 vehicle movements through the five crossings.
Merrion Gates accounts for almost half of these, with around 11,400 vehicle movements. Serpentine Avenue records approximately 4,900, followed by Sydney Parade Avenue with 4,600, Sandymount Avenue with 3,900 and Lansdowne Road with 3,200.
