Vol. 571 No. 3
243 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to the widespread support being expressed in Tallaght for the Luas project; if he has asked the Railway Procurement Agency to consider the merits of extending Luas out from the Square through Old Bawn into the Tallaght west estates and on to the City West campus; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21593/03]
I am aware that public reaction to the introduction of the Luas has been very positive and that the Luas services are eagerly awaited by the people of Tallaght and those persons living along the routes that it will serve. The RPA has informed me that while it has no plans to extend the Luas line from the Square through Old Bawn into the Tallaght west estates and onto the City West campus, it is keeping the situation under review, in line with the Dublin Transportation Office strategy document A Platform for Change.
244 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Transport if he will report on the development of the Luas line from the city centre to Tallaght; the actions he is taking to deal with the challenge of the Red Cow roundabout; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21594/03]
Construction of the Luas line from Tallaght to Connolly Station – line A/C – is progressing and significant milestones for the project have already been achieved. The depot at Red Cow is now complete and the 26 trams for the Tallaght line have been delivered. Testing and commissioning of part of the system has commenced. Most, if not all, of the main engineering works are expected to be completed by the end of the year. Passenger services will commence in August 2004.
In relation to the Deputy's concerns about the Red Cow roundabout in the context of Luas, the Railway Procurement Agency has informed me that alignment of the tram path at the roundabout was the subject of detailed discussions with the National Roads Authority and South Dublin County Council prior to the granting of an order to construct the Tallaght to Connolly Station line. This followed detailed consideration at the public inquiry held into the proposals put forward by the then CIE light rail project office, whose work was subsequently taken over by the RPA. The RPA's view is that Luas will have no negative impact on traffic conditions at this roundabout.
