I am aware of Dublin Chamber's pre-Budget submission which my Department has received.
The allocation of capital funding for public transport under the Government's Capital Plan "Building on Recovery Infrastructure & Capital Investment 2016-2021" is €3.6 billion. This was framed within the context of Government fiscal policy and the range of competing demands for Government expenditure, and while it means that not all desirable projects can be afforded, it does allow us to make a significant investment in maintaining our public transport infrastructure and in going some way to increasing capacity to support our growing economy.
The first priority is ensuring that we maintain our existing transport infrastructure at what is termed "steady state" levels so that it remains safe and fit for purpose after a significant period of underinvestment during the economic and fiscal crisis. The funding allocations for public transport under the Capital Plan will see us reach "steady state" funding levels by 2020.
In addition, some capital works are being undertaken in the GDA that will greatly enhance the capacity of the public transport system in our capital when complete. These include Luas Cross City which is on schedule to open at the end of 2017, the Phoenix Park Tunnel which I expect to open for services later this year, the City Centre Re-signalling project, and investment in the bus fleet and bus priority measures.
Funding is also provided in the later years of the Capital Plan for the new Metro North Project that will enable construction of the link to commence in 2021 with a view to delivery by 2026/2027.
The DART Underground project remains a key element of integrated transport for the GDA and implementation of the overall DART Expansion programme is proposed in the NTA's Transport Strategy for the GDA 2016-2035. The Capital Plan provides funding for redesign and planning for the revised lower cost DART Underground. It also funds other elements of the overall DART Expansion Programme including electrification of the Northern line to extend the DART to Balbriggan.
Obviously, I would like to see some of these projects progressed sooner but funding remains fairly constrained. If additional funding becomes available in the next few years, although there will be many competing demands, I will be making a strong case for additional investment in public transport to support economic growth, social needs, and contribute to our climate mitigation targets.
