Clare Daly
Question:114. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will outline a strategy in relation to the urgent necessity to deliver Metro North. [7523/14]
View answerTuesday, 18 February 2014
Questions (114, 129)
Alan Farrell
Question:129. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide details of the various proposals for a high frequency, high volume transport service between Dublin city centre and Dublin Airport and Swords; the timeframe for a preferred method to be costed; the implications on the next national development plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7527/14]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 114 and 129 together.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for developing public transport infrastructure in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA) including Metro, Rail and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) projects.
Following the comprehensive review of capital expenditure carried out in 2011 a decision was taken to defer the Metro North and a number of other projects which were not affordable in current circumstances. It was made clear at the time that these projects would be reviewed again in preparation for the next capital plan post-2016. The priorities under the current capital plan are to protect investment made to date, to maintain safety standards and to progress affordable projects such as Luas Cross City which add value to the existing network.
Preparation for the next capital plan will be informed by work under way such as the Strategic Framework for Investment in Land Transport (SFILT) which is being developed in my Department and the technical consultancy proposed by the NTA to assess the long term rail transport requirements of the North Dublin/Fingal corridor, extending from Finglas to Malahide and including Dublin Airport and Swords. This review will examine existing proposals as well as other options for a rail-based transport solution to meet the area's needs in the long term.
The specific projects identified to meet current and future demand will be prioritised for inclusion in the next capital plan on the basis of a detailed appraisal with regard to their benefits and costs.
The NTA has also proposed a BRT Scheme as an interim solution to the short term demand needs of the Swords/Airport corridor. BRT would be a fast and efficient form of public transport in some parts of Dublin and would be cheaper to build, operate and maintain than rail. BRT will not on its own replace rail based solutions where a higher capacity solution is required in the long-term, such as on the Swords/Airport corridor.
Under the current capital plan, funding is only available for the initial design and route selection of a small number of BRT schemes. These schemes, of which Swords/Airport has been identified as a priority, will be included for consideration with other projects in deciding on priorities for the capital plan post 2016.
I understand that the NTA is shortly to commence a public consultation process on BRT.