Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 December 2004
50 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Transport his views on proposals from Irish Rail for the Dublin rail plan and interconnector; and his plans, in the context of these, in respect of plans to link the two Luas lines. [32527/04]
View answerTo provide an integrated rail network in the greater Dublin area, Irish Rail submitted proposals to my Department in July 2004 for a €3.5 billion investment to four-track the Kildare line, electrify the Kildare and Maynooth lines, build an interconnector tunnel linking Heuston to the docklands, construct a spur off the Maynooth line to Dunboyne and expand the capacity of the DART.
The Irish Rail proposals are being assessed by my Department at present, although, in the case of the DART, the capacity of the system is currently being increased.
In addition, the Railway Procurement Agency has submitted to my Department a detailed business case for a metro-based transit system serving north Dublin and is advancing plans for extension of the Luas to the docklands and Cherrywood. The Department is awaiting business plans from the RPA in order to assist in its evaluation of both Luas extensions. The RPA has also considered a preliminary analysis of the feasibility and cost of linking both Luas lines in the city centre and a more detailed proposal is now being prepared for consideration by the RPA board before its submission to my Department.
Overall, these various proposals are being considered in the context of the developing needs of public transport in the greater Dublin area, the framework outlined in the Dublin Transportation Office's "Platform for Change", the recently adopted regional planning guidelines for the greater Dublin area and the extended ten year multi-annual capital investment envelope for transport announced by the Minister for Finance in his Budget Statement. These offer a great opportunity to plan the future transport needs of Dublin and the rest of the country.
Does the Minister accept that the existing rail system in the Dublin area is close to capacity? The Iarnród Éireann plan is not an optional matter, we must go ahead with its development plan if we are to continue to provide additional capacity in the rail area. Its plan for an interconnector links Connolly and Spencer Dock with Heuston Station via St. Stephen's Green, the most sensible route because it provides additional capacity on all lines and links the two Luas lines.
It was strange that one of the first announcements the Minister made when he came to office was that it was his intention to link the two Luas lines. In the context of the possibility that the interconnector will go ahead, it does not make sense to spend a substantial amount in the short-term on linking the two lines by extension to the Luas. It makes more sense to implement the full interconnector rail plan that will provide the critical link between the two Luas lines.
The plans submitted by Irish Rail are exciting, valuable and deliver in terms of capacity of movement of people around Dublin. They form a backdrop to all of the other plans and, equally, what is already in place.
We have almost reached capacity on Irish Rail, particularly trying to get into Dublin. The interconnector that Irish Rail proposed has merit, as do the other proposals. A ten year plan and funding envelope are necessary to create what we need. I do not want to work on a piecemeal basis, where I talk about one project at a time to the exclusion of everything else.
That is what happened with Luas.
I used the connection of the two Luas lines as an illustrative backdrop about interconnectivity in the various modes of public transport. Extraordinarily, people in the media decided if the two Luas lines were connected, there would be no metro. The connection between the two issues is beyond me, they are completely separate and I want to get away from that sort of talk.
The Irish Rail proposals make a valuable contribution and are worthy of serious consideration. There are other projects and plans and it is my job to link them in the best possible way to secure an outcome where in ten years we will have a completely different transport infrastructure in Dublin. The ten year envelope presents a huge opportunity for transport. Instead of building one project now and in 2010 deciding to do another and going through another five years planning, we can do a great deal now. We must cost the projects to secure value for money in terms of passenger use, connection and function for each of the different modes. I want to ensure Dublin Bus, Luas, DART, Irish Rail and RPA projects all fit into this so the picture is clear for everyone.
The concern about the Minister's proposal to link the Luas lines was based on the fact that the northside of Dublin has completely lost out on any new rail initiative. Most of us were horrified that the Department would consider doing something else on the southside of the city without first putting an initiative in place on the northside, as the Minister of State, Deputy Callely, would agree.
After the Minister's answer, I am still no clearer about his intentions. Does he accept that it makes sense to consider the plan from Iarnród Éireann and decide what he will do on that before he starts to fly kites on the possibility of linking the two Luas lines? This will provide the link if he goes ahead with it. How long will it take to make a decision on this?
I am not going to consider the Irish Rail plans in isolation from everything else. It is the wrong thing to do. We have been doing things on a project by project basis for the last five years and I want to pull everything together.
The Minister dropped one link for a better one and then dropped the better one as well.
I have already spent hours looking at these with officials and experts. I am asking the hard questions about where this connects to which element, how it all works if x, y and z are done and what capacity will be delivered into the system. Now we have the envelop in place it is possible to do this.
As someone who is not from Dublin, it strikes me as extraordinary that all of the main public transport developments have been on the southside, particularly when the Taoiseach is from north Dublin. It is a sign of his generosity to the southside but I am conscious of the need for a transport solution for north Dublin.
When will the Minister make a decision?
I hope to decide in the next few months because I want to cost it.
