Vol. 539 No. 3
108 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if the Railway Safety Programme 1999 to 2003, included provision for improvement works on the Castlebar to Wesport line; if her Department has asked Iarnród Éireann to carry out works to bridges and arches along the rail lines being repaired and upgraded; if not, if she will request that these matters be also considered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19498/01]
109 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Public Enterprise the amount approved by her under the Railway Safety Programme 1999 to 2003, for works on the Westport line; if works on the Islandeady rail arch will also be funded from these works; if she will request Iarnród Éireann to undertake these works as part of the works on the line to enhance rail safety; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19499/01]
110 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Public Enterprise the input of the chief railway inspecting officer in her Department on decisions and expenditure under the Railway Safety Programme 1999 to 2003; if the inspector liaises with Iarnród Éireann in relation to specific works, such as bridges and arches, on stretches of track where improvement works are being undertaken; if he has inspected the Castlebar to Wesport line and specifically the arch at Islandeady; if he has recommended any improvement works to the arch; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19500/01]
111 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if she will request the chief railway inspecting officer in her Department to conduct a safety audit of the arch at Islandeady, Castlebar, County Mayo, which needs improvement works to its height and width; if the arch has been the subject of correspondence between the inspector and Iarnród Éireann; if so the nature of such correspondence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19501/01]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 108 to 111, inclusive, together.
The Railway Safety Programme 1999 to 2003, was agreed by Government in March 1999. It provides for an investment totalling £430.6 million over the five years of the programme, comprising £379.4 million for infrastructural safety works and £51.2 million for improvements to the safety management systems of Iarnród Éireann. The investment on infrastructural works includes £32.2 million for the renewal of some 110 bridges and the repainting of 500 bridges across the network over the life of the programme. In relation to the arch at Islandeady, the safety of this arch is the responsibility of Iarnród Éireann and not one in which I have a function. However, I understand from Iarnród Éireann that, although the arch has a very low clearance, it is not considered to pose a risk to the railway and was not therefore included by them in the bridge renewal element of the railway safety programme. However, the company has advised me that in the light of local concerns about the access restrictions imposed by height restriction of the arch discussions are ongoing at present between Iarnród Éireann and Mayo County Council to try and resolve these concerns.
112 Ms M. McGennis asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if she will request the Dublin Transportation Office to re-examine the possibility of opening a train station at Kylemore Road, Ballyfermot, in conjunction with the current upgrading of the line. [19526/01]
The function of the Dublin Transportation Office, which comes under the aegis of the Department of Environment and Local Government, is to advise the Government on transport strategic planning and to monitor and co-ordinate implementation of those plans in the greater Dublin area.
As I stated in a recent Parliamentary Question, No. 68 of 20 June, 2001, copy attached, individual decisions about particular rail stops on existing suburban lines are a matter for Iarnród Éireann who is required to operate its services as efficiently as possible within the annual subvention provided by the Exchequer. The Dublin Transportation Office's Strategy, A Platform for Change, includes a rail stop at Ballyfermot. The Luas line between Tallaght and the city centre planned for 2003 will service part of Ballyfermot. Furthermore, the DTO Strategy recommends a Luas line from Lucan to Docklands via Ballyfermot to be constructed in the period between 2006 and 2010. This would interchange with the suburban rail line at Ballyfermot.
