Róisín Shortall
Question:61 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if it is still the intention of the Government to proceed with Luas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9072/00]
Other Questions. - Light Rail Project.
I refer the Deputy to my reply to Priority Question No. 50, which I answered earlier.
Is the Minister aware of any other city where a rail system has been put underground? Would she agree the reason light rail is used is that it is suitable for on street and not underground deployment and that where underground is to be the option, heavy rail is the system which is used? Would she agree that we will now have a system of underground light rail which will not be connectable to any future underground heavy rail system?
The Tallaght to the city centre and city centre to Connolly Station lines will be over ground and they will form one continuous line, the money for which has now been approved. As stated in the reply to a question from Deputy Yates today or yesterday on the stage of the tenders which had been reached, the Sandyford line is approved. The next matter will be the funding for that.
In the next month or two, I intend to find out what system is in use in all the other cities – I will not visit them because I will not have the time. The Government is determined that there will be a much more comprehensive underground system, embracing all the city and involving many spurs from it. Clearly it is needed. We are getting a presentation on that matter on either the 11th or the 18th.
The Minister's minute has concluded.
Irrespective of the blueprint to be used for Luas, has the Department conducted a study to determine what would be the current subvention, quite apart from the capital cost involved?
The capital?
No, the current. Has there been any assessment of what the subsidy will be?
Second, if one looks at the Ove Arup report undertaken by CIE and the DTO plan, that is, what is called the Metro-style £4 billion plan, there are clearly elements which contradict the Luas proposal. If one leaves aside the Tallaght line and the Sandyford line, it is a case of choosing one or the other. One does not choose a system with overground and underground elements. Therefore, will the Minister confirm that an adoption by the Government on the 11th or 18th of the bigger, £4 billion Metro-style plan will mean alterations to the previous Luas plan?
That may not necessarily arise. Certainly the Luas line from Tallaght to Dublin and Dublin to Connolly Station will be an on street system. The capital has been approved. The ancillary services are contracted and working. Next month it goes out to combined tender.
When we get the presentation on either the 11th or the 18th, we will then be in a position to know exactly the size and nature of, and be able to take decisions on, the comprehensive underground system which clearly the city needs.
I am glad that the debate has moved from statements that we should not have an underground to a realisation and acceptance, if only a partial acceptance, that Dublin would be about the only large metropolitan city which does not have an underground public transport system.
The Deputy asked me about the subsidy. A year ago the Government decided that this would be a public/private partnership construction.
But even if it is private, it may need a subsidy.
I would like an opportunity to let Deputy Stagg make a contribution.
It has also decided that it would be put out for competitive tendering to decide who would run it. Clearly CIE can table a bid for that tender.
I will allow a brief final supplementary from Deputy Stagg.
Am I correct in assuming from what the Minister said that the intention of the Government is to eventually have a heavy rail Metro-style underground system in Dublin, that it will be connectable with the mainline rail system and that there will be an on street and underground light system? Does she agree that these systems will not be compatible or interchangeable because they will be of different gauges?
Whatever the system following the presentation next month, it will be an inter-operable system. That will be one of the prime requisites, but I emphasise that the money has been provided for the lines and the work will commence shortly on the line from Tallaght to the city centre and the city centre to Connolly Station. The other line has been agreed by Judge O'Leary, who I again commend on his quick work on this matter.
Some Fine Gael people are good at these things.
He did great work. It remains to be seen how we now mesh with a comprehensive underground system for Dublin.
Written Answers follow Adjournment Debate.