A long-discussed proposal to build a cable car over the River Liffey in Dublin city centre may be brought back to life, according to its developer. The project, known as the “suas”, was first put forward in 2006 but has repeatedly stalled due to planning and land-use challenges.
Developer Barry Boland, who has spent nearly 20 years pursuing the scheme, says he is now confident the project could finally progress. Running from the 3Arena on the Docklands side of the city to an area near Heuston Station, the tourist attraction would be suspended on four large towers positioned along the river.
Despite earlier failures to secure the necessary permissions from Dublin City Council, Boland insists the concept remains viable. He estimates the attraction would cost around €80 million, with private investors already committed.
“We’re in a position now that we could go for planning within three months,” Boland said. “We have the investors, we know it can cost about 80 million euro. We know we don’t need any grants or subsidies or tax breaks.”
Attempts to have the project designated as strategic infrastructure were unsuccessful in 2006, but Boland maintains the idea is far from abandoned.
Labour councillor Dermot Lacey has also expressed support for revisiting the proposal, arguing that Dublin should be more open to bold and imaginative developments.
“We need more imagination, we need more creativity, we need more exciting projects,” he said. “I always supported it on that basis. It deserved to get a hearing, it deserved to get a try-out, and if it wasn’t going to work we’d see that in the planning process. We have a terrible tendency to knock things in Dublin.”
With renewed confidence from its developer and political voices calling for greater innovation, the “suas” cable car may yet have another chance to reshape Dublin’s skyline.
