Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 7 May 2003

Vol. 566 No. 1

Written Answers. - Public Transport.

Richard Bruton

Question:

600 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Transport the present status of the major proposals for the Dublin Airport rail connection, the northside Luas and the northside bus depots; the latest cost estimate; and the completion date for each. [12407/03]

Minister for Transport (Mr. Brennan)

The proposals mentioned by the Deputy are all contained in Dublin Transportation Office's strategy, A Platform for Change 2000-16.

Last year the Government agreed that the development of the Dublin metro should be undertaken on a phased basis and as a public private partnership, PPP. Phase one of the metro involves a line from Blanchardstown and Dublin Airport to the city centre and to Shanganagh. Since then, the Railway Procurement Agency, RPA, has concentrated its work on developing the outline business case for phase one. The RPA has also conducted a preliminary public consultation and a pre-qualification exercise for potential bidders. More recently, Iarnród Éireann has submitted a preliminary proposal for a DART link from Connolly Station to the airport.

In November 2002, my Department received the outline business case, OBC, for phase one from the RPA. The OBC includes cost-benefit analyses, a financing model, system options, a number of route alignment options, the estimated cost over the lifetime of the project and the estimated timescales involved.

The final costs of the project will be determined by a number of factors, including the route alignment chosen, the structure of the PPP and the bids received as part of the competitive tendering process. The advisers engaged by the RPA have estimated that the cost of the various options for phase one of the project range from €1.7 billion to €3.8 billion in terms of total direct capital cost at 2002 prices. These figures increase substantially when one estimates a final cost which takes account of expected inflation over the period between now and when services commence, VAT, fees, interest charges, the cost of risk transfer and a provision for risk and contingency. However, a more accurate cost can only be determined when the final structure of the project is decided and competitive bids are received from the interested parties. Nevertheless, I have asked the RPA to review each element of the costs to identify scope for reductions and my Department and the RPA is having discussions in this regard.

The possible effects which a project of this scale may have on the overall Exchequer finances and Ireland's obligations under the EU Stability and Growth Pact are also being examined and no conclusions have yet been reached in this regard.

Following completion of the evaluation of the metro outline business case and the other work referred to above, and of the Iarnród Éireann proposal, I intend to bring my recommendations to the Government in the near future.

While the development of the metro has been given priority in the RPA, some preliminary work has been undertaken on the possibilities for extending the Luas network. More detailed consideration of the route alignments for the northside lines will take place after a decision is taken on the metro. Separately, the RPA is examining the possibility of extending the Tallaght to Connolly Station line to the docklands, and public consultation was commenced recently on the various options involved.

The northside bus depot at Harristown is expected to cost approximately €54 million. Tenders are being examined by Bus Átha Cliath and, providing the contract is signed this month, construction will commence in summer 2003 and will be completed by the end of 2004.

Richard Bruton

Question:

601 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Transport the trend in total passenger carryings of Dublin Bus, DART, suburban rail into Dublin and of Dublin commuter Bus Éireann services in each of the past five years; and the trend in each case in the total fleet capacity in passenger terms over that period. [12408/03]

Minister for Transport (Mr. Brennan)

The information requested by the Deputy, as supplied by CIE, is set out as follows:

Table 1

Fleet Numbers (Carriages and Buses)

Year	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002
Iarnród Éireann:
DARTsOther Suburban Services	80 74	80 74	90 84	102 94	114 94
Bus Átha Cliath	914	987	1,039	1,062	1,062
Bus Éireann	620	630	689	694	680

Table 2

Passenger Journeys per annum in Dublin

Passenger Journeys(Millions of Passengers)	1998	1999	2000*	2001	2002
Iarnród Éireann:
DARTOuter Suburban Services	19.7 2.6	19.9 2.6	19.6 2.4	20.8 2.6	21.5 2.7
Bus Átha Cliath**	134	139	134	143	147
Bus Éireann***	84.3	83.9	84.3	87.3	89.4

* Services were disrupted due to industrial disputes in 2000.

** Arising from discussions with my Department, Dublin Bus adjusted its methodology for calculating annual passenger numbers in 2002. The data for 1998 to 2001 have been adjusted to reflect the revised methodology and provide a more accurate trend analysis.

*** Total passenger carryings.

Richard Bruton

Question:

602 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Transport the trend in the public subvention towards the cost of public transport services in the past five years in respect of Dublin Bus, Dublin suburban rail, DART and Dublin commuter Bus Éireann services. [12409/03]

Minister for Transport (Mr. Brennan)

Over the past five years, the Government has significantly increased the subvention paid to CIE in respect of the provision of social necessary but commercially non-viable services. Distribution of the subvention between the operating companies is a matter for the CIE board. The allocation of the subvention between the subsidiary companies in the period 1998 to 2002, inclusive, was as set out in the following table:

Euro (000s)	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002
Iarnród Éireann	117.5	119.3	133.2	143.5	152.9
Bus Átha Cliath	11.3	16.8	41.2	54.3	57.1
Bus Éireann	7.1	7.4	15.8	24.1	22.8
Total	135.9	143.5	190.2	221.9	232.8

The subvention allocated for 2003 is €245 million, which represents an increase of 80% on the figure for 1998.