Irish Rail says consultation and other progress likely to resume from 2030 at the earliest. FOI request shows 4-year-old report recommended closing level crossings in Sandymount. Active travel access to be maintained but mainly via steps and lifts rather than ramps.The Governments reluctance to annoy Dublin 4 motorists plays a large part in slowing progress on speeding up trains and adding capacity, according to Rail Users Ireland, a passenger advocacy group.The group said there appears to be resistance at national level to proceed to public consultation despite the support of 679 pages of engineering analysis supporting the level crossing closures along the Dart line in south Dublin.The report, written by consultants Arup, was published today by the passenger group after the Information Commissioner intervened when Irish Rail / Iarnrd ireann stopped responding to a Freedom of Information request for the four-year-old report. The report, which examines options for closing level crossings, is still partly redacted, including unusually redactions of possible environmental impacts.Mark Gleeson, a spokesperson for Rail Users Ireland, said: This is yet another example of the unwillingness at a Government level to make decisions; projects are delayed and paused. Difficult decisions need to be made, and we need leadership willing to make them; otherwise we are left in a never-ending game of playing catch up.Dart passengers have suffered for 42 years by a compromise to prioritise private cars over the train. The proposals from Irish Rail/Arup offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to replace Merrion Gates with a bridge and to dramatically improve rail performance and capacity, he said.Gleeson said: While some of the recommendations will clearly raise concerns around local access and impact to existing bus routes, Iarnrd ireann sitting on the report for over 4 years without starting public consultation is ridiculous; why has it not been moved to consultation?The group said the Dart+ West project which includes planning approval to close all level crossings between Ashtown and Maynooth has set a precedent and made the benefits clear. But the key difference is that Sandymount has less space for under or overpasses that can accommodate cars without significant property take.Of the five level crossings in the area at Lansdowne Road, Serpentine Avenue, Sandymount Avenue, Sydney Parade Avenue, and Merrion Gates, consultations have recommended only that the latter gets an underpass. The recommended area for an underpass is north of the existing Merrion Gates level crossing, in a similar location where an overpass was previously suggested but was dropped after strong local opposition. Within the documents released under FOI request, there are emerging preferred options which include a motor vehicular underpass under the railway at Serpentine Avenue, but this is omitted from the recommendations, which calls for pedestrian and cycling access via steps and lifts.The scrapped idea of allowing motorists through Serpentine Avenue includes a circular ramp on one side, which would require CPOs and demolition of a commercial building.Rail Users Ireland said that removing the level crossings would shorten journey times for Dart and Rosslare/Wexford intercity services, remove the risk of damage from high winds and motorists damaging the gates, allow for higher frequency of service, reduce maintenance costs, and allow for the railway to be raised at points to protect from flooding. It said that Sandymount Ave and Serpentine Ave are two of the most struck level crossings in the country, and that the system struggles with the current peak of 15 trains per hour and that future plans are for 24-30 trains per hour, which cannot be delivered without closing all the level crossings.Arup recommended to Irish Rail to keep access open at the level crossings for walking and cycling using underpasses, but these will contain steps, so will not be cyclable and would push people on bicycles and wheelchairs into lifts. The group said that the Arup report is written in a way that clearly expects a public consultation, but no progress has been made.Rail Users Ireland said that the Dart line is unique in Ireland in that level crossing closures are scheduled by computer to maximise time open to vehicles. The group said that this leads to extended journey times for trains and adds several extra minutes to millions of individual passenger journeys annually for 42+ years.Barry Kenny, a spokesperson for Irish Rail, said: To facilitate the frequency of Darts envisaged under the Dart+ Programme, the removal of the rail/road interfaces at level crossings on the southside has always been proposed. The staging of the Dart+ Programme is seeing a range of projects progress first, including the Bray / Greystones capacity enhancement element of Dart+ Coastal South.Under current phasing of the programme and predicted funding, the remainder of Dart+ Coastal South, including addressing level crossings, is likely to resume from 2030 at the earliest, he said.Kenny added: Given the complexity of the proposals and the need to ensure we deliver train capacity, ensure alternatives for road users, be they drivers, pedestrians or cyclists, and the impacts arising from works and new points of access in the wider community, this would involve extensive public consultation and a Railway Order application process.MORE: FOI pack with Dart+ Coastal South Constraints Report IMAGES: Draft drawings of the emerging preferred options note: The recommendation for the Serpentine Avenue crossing does not correspond to the drawing shown, which would require CPOs and demolition of a commercial building.