asked the Minister for Transport and Power whether the possibility of restoring the Harcourt Street-Bray, County Wicklow, rail line has now been ruled out.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Restoration of Railway Line.
87.
There is no question of restoring the Harcourt Street-Bray railway line at this stage.
The Report Transportation in Dublin, published by An Foras Forbartha in November, 1971, recommended that the route of the former Harcourt Street railway line from Leopardstown to the city be restored as a busway. Provision would be made for the buses to join and depart from the busway at intervals to facilitate collection and distribution of passengers. Government decisions have not yet been taken on this report.
You sold Harcourt Street station and its environs for £50,000 which is now worth £750,000.
That is old hat now.
It was Todd's last gift to Fianna Fáil.
Would the Minister not agree with me that of all the bad administrative decisions that were ever taken in this city since the war the decision to dispose of the area covered by the Harcourt Street to Bray line was one of the worst? Men living in Bray have to leave home at 8 o'clock in the morning in their cars to get into Dublin at 9 o'clock. If they leave at 8.10 they do not arrive until 10 o'clock.
We cannot have a discussion, on this question.
We cannot have an academic discussion on this.
That is a fact. I am talking about facts. People living in Bray and Killiney have to leave their homes at 8 o'clock in the morning in order to get to their work at 9 o'clock. Was that not a bad administrative decision?
I am calling Question No. 88. We cannot have any further discussion on this. Would the Minister please answer Question No. 88?