asked the Minister for Transport and Power whether the provision of a simple underground rail system on the lines of that operating in Glasgow has ever been considered for Dublin to relieve congestion on roads.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin Underground Rail System.
9.
The provision of an underground rail system in Dublin to relieve congestion on the roads would be a matter for consideration by the planning authority in the first instance. The provision of an underground railway has not been recommended either by Professor Myles Wright in his report on the planning and future development of the Dublin Region or by Professor Schaechterle in his Report on Dublin Traffic Planning. So far as I am aware no detailed examination of the technical or economic implications of such a proposal has ever been made.
Experience abroad suggests that the capital cost would be enormous and that such a system would incur heavy losses which would have to be met by subsidies. Morever, it is likely that even if social as well as economic costs and benefits were taken into account, the provision of an underground rail system could be justified only in cities much larger than Dublin.
Some experts have suggested that the prerequisite condition to justify an underground rail system would not exist in cities of less than one million inhabitants.