Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 2 November 2016
11. Deputy Brendan Ryan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on whether the building of a second runway in Dublin Airport will be designed and constructed to ensure it complements the delivery of metro north and to ensure the DAA liaises with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, on an ongoing basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32783/16]
View answerI am asking the question from the point of view of metro north, which I support, and ensuring any other major projects at Dublin Airport do not delay or impact on the delivery of metro north. With a new runway on the horizon and planning permission granted for a large hotel beside Terminal 2, there is no shortage of major works planned for Dublin Airport. I want to ensure any plans have been metro north proofed.
As the Deputy will be aware, the DAA has statutory responsibility to manage, operate and develop Dublin Airport, including the second parallel north runway project. DAA has made provision for the new metro north project in its master plan for Dublin Airport. Specifically, it has preserved an area within the central core of the airport to facilitate the metro link. The DAA has also met with the National Transport Authority, NTA, on the project in the context of the runway development and will continue to engage with the NTA as that project develops.
Funding is being made available under the Government's capital plan, Building on Recovery: Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2016-2021, for planning, design and construction of metro north, linking St. Stephen's Green with Swords via Dublin Airport. Funding in the initial years of the capital plan is for planning and design work with construction expected to commence in 2021, with a view to delivering the project by 2026 or 2027. The NTA and Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, have commenced preparatory work on planning and design of metro north and a dedicated project steering group has been established, which is meeting regularly. There will, of course, be engagement between TII and the DAA at an appropriate juncture during the design process.
I know discussions have taken place with Transport Infrastructure Ireland since the Minister came to office, and the previous Government had set aside funding for the design of the new metro north. The rigour with which metro north was measured against other possible transport solutions for the Swords airport corridor ensures, without doubt, that metro north is the best long-term transport option. We now need to plough ahead as quickly as possible with this project. There is a ten-year plan and we are already one year into that for the delivery of metro north. It is a more important piece of infrastructure than the second runway, and that is why I always have concerns regarding anything that even has the slightest potential in delaying the project. The new runway will bring more people into Dublin Airport, which means more people will need to leave the airport terminals in an organised and efficient manner. The taxi and bus services that currently operate are not ideal and so it is even more important that metro north is delivered to meet the expected increase in passenger numbers.
What the Deputy has said is true. It would be a great pity if preparation was not made for metro north coming to Dublin Airport but that provision is being made. As I stated, the plans are advanced and a specific area has been set to one side. This is bearing in mind that Dublin Airport is experiencing a strong and sustainable return to growth. Traffic in 2015 alone grew by 15%, from 21.7 million passengers in 2014 to just over 25 million, making it the second-fastest growing airport in the European Union in 2015, growing at three times the EU average. The airport has developed and is successfully implementing a hub strategy that has made it the sixth most important hub for connectivity to North America, ahead of such competing airports as Rome, Munich and Zürich.
A significant number of public and private bus and coach operators are licensed to provide services linking the airport with the city and other suburban regional centres throughout the country, and current demand for public transport services is well catered for at the moment by these operators. In the medium to longer term, the new programme for Government includes a commitment to proceed with the metro scheme linking Dublin Airport with the city centre and Swords. Funding is being made available under the capital plan for planning, design and commencement of construction of the new metro north scheme with a view to delivering the link by 2026 to 2027. The national aviation policy also confirms that access to the airports will be taken into account during the development of surface transport programmes in line with the Department's strategic framework for investment in land transport.
The key is to get metro north started, and if we can get it started, it will continue to completion. I met representatives of Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, and they were of the view that it will have the potential to start it within its revenues earlier than the Minister's timeline. Will the Minister do everything he can to facilitate that early start for metro north and not restrict TII in any way from using its own revenues for that purpose?
We will do what we can for the Deputy. As he probably knows, the National Transport Authority, NTA, has commenced initial work on the design and planning stages of the scheme, in collaboration with TII. The key objective of this first phase will be to determine the route alignment. Thereafter, the NTA will prepare a detailed business case for the project based on more detailed design and cost estimates for the route prior to lodging the railway order for the proposed scheme. The comprehensive appraisal will be conducted in accordance with the Government's public spending code. The DAA has welcomed the construction of the new metro north linking the city centre, Dublin Airport and Swords. The metro will enter the airport perimeter via an underground portal at the Naul road and the DAA has preserved an area within the central core of the airport to facilitate the metro link. Personnel from the DAA have already met representatives of the NTA on the project in the context of the runway development and it will continue to engage as the project develops.
