Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 December 2012
693. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide a breakdown of costs for the proposed LUAS BXD line project; if he will explain the very high cost per kilometre compared to other European light rail construction projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54427/12]
View answerThe provision of infrastructure projects in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA), such as LUAS BXD, now comes under the remit of the NTA in accordance with the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008. LUAS BXD to Broombridge is designed to be a key element in an overall integrated transport network for Dublin. It will create a LUAS network by joining the LUAS Red and Green Lines and will also link with rail services from Maynooth and Dunboyne and with existing Quality Bus schemes which enter or cross Dublin City Centre. It will also, in time, interchange with future key projects such as Dart Underground and Metro North.
The project is expected to cost €368 million when direct and indirect costs together with escalation are taken into account. This sum, which is the figure in the Updated Detailed Business Case, is of necessity an estimate and reflects the current pre-tender stage of project definitions, design and development. The final cost will only emerge as tendering and progress with construction contracts evolve. I understand the Updated Detailed Business Case and the independent review which was commissioned by the NTA in respect of that business case will be published by the NTA in the coming weeks.
In relation to the cost per kilometre of the project, the NTA have informed me that this is comparable with other similar light rail projects. They have advised that the cost reflects the city centre environment through which the project will be constructed. In addition, I am informed that many comparisons with other international projects are not made on a directly comparable basis. For instance in many jurisdictions the very significant cost of the necessary utility diversions from the route of the light rail project do not form part of the project cost, as they do in Ireland, and instead are borne directly by the utility owner.
