Written Answers. - Public Transport.
Trevor Sargent
Question:
125
Mr. Sargent
asked the
Minister for Transport
if he expects to present a business case proposal for a Dublin metro to Cabinet; and if such a proposal will include a connection to Swords as the first construction phase of the metro.
[23149/03]
Richard Bruton
Question:
130
Mr. R. Bruton
asked the
Minister for Transport
his plans for the metro; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[23048/03]
Eamon Gilmore
Question:
136
Mr. Gilmore
asked the
Minister for Transport
the position regarding plans for the construction of a metro system in Dublin; the estimated cost; the likely timeframe for construction and completion; when the route will be finalised; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[23116/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 125, 130 and 136 together.
The Railway Procurement Agency, RPA, has submitted to my Department the business case, including a cost benefit analysis, for the PPP procurement of phase 1 of the metro. As the estimated costs were substantial, I asked for a number of additional aspects of the proposal to be further examined including the cost of the project, its potential impact on the general Government balance, the legal, planning and technical considerations based on practice elsewhere, particularly Madrid where the authorities have developed a strong international reputation for the speedy completion of the metro extensions at relatively low cost.
My Department is currently finalising its evaluation of RPA's response and recommendations on how the PPP procurement of the first metro line should proceed and I will be bringing proposals to the Government shortly.
Included in the revised proposal is RPA's estimate of the direct capital cost of the first line and an indication of the potential size of the annual availability payments to the successful PPP consortium. These annual payments will cover the construction of the metro and its operation and maintenance over a 26 year operating period. It must be pointed out that the actual cost of the metro and the level of availability payments will be largely dependent on the bids received from the private sector. More than 30 parties have responded to the pre-qualification exercise launch by the RPA in May 2002, including a large number of major companies from around the world, 22 of whom have pre-qualified.
The revised proposal, which is for a metro line from Dublin Airport to the city centre also contains some routing options. As regards the issue of a line from Dublin Airport to Swords, the RPA has indicated that the economic case for such a line is strong but would obviously add to the cost of phase 1. I will be including my recommendations on how to approach the possibility of such an extension, together with the routing issue, in the proposals that I will be bringing to the Government shortly.
The timescale for construction and completion of the metro will be dependent on a number of factors, including the decisions taken by Government.
