Vol. 465 No. 1
209 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications the cost of the proposed Light Rail Transit Project involving the three lines already announced and the additional lines to be constructed at a later date; the portion of these costs that will be met from EU sources of funding; the portion of these costs that will be met from domestic sources of funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9257/96]
The full light rail network recommended by the Dublin Transportation Initiative comprises a core network of lines to Tallaght, Cabinteely and Ballymun and a second phase network comprising an additional line to Finglas and an extension of the Ballymun line to Dublin Airport and Swords at an estimated total capital cost of £410.3 million in 1994 prices.
The Operational Programme for Transport 1994 to 1999 provided for a total expenditure of £200 million — in 1994 prices — on light rail during the period. Of this amount approximately £175 million — 216 million ECU — is proposed to be EU-cofinanced at a rate of 65 per cent; that would approximate to £114 million in EU funding.
On the basis of the detailed work which has been carried out by the project team on light rail, CIÉ is confident that it will be possible to implement the first phase of the core light rail network at a capital cost of £220 million in 1995 prices. This would leave a balance of approximately £106 million in capital costs and any non-capital costs to be financed nationally.
