Robert Troy
Question:225. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the amount of funding that has been spent on public transport projects (details supplied) to date. [44401/17]
View answerThursday, 19 October 2017
Questions (225)
Written answers
The Capital Plan ‘Building on Recovery: Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2016-2021’ published in September 2015, confirmed a €9.6 billion capital envelope for transport over seven years and provided the following funding to progress key public transport projects included in the National Transport Authority’s (NTA) ‘Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area 2016-2035’:
- €700 million for planning, design and initial construction of new Metro North;
- €70m for the first phase of the DART Expansion Programme to include the extension to Balbriggan, the design and planning of DART services to Maynooth and Hazelhatch and for work on the redesign of the underground tunnel;
- €800 million for bus programmes including fleet replacement and enlargement programmes, bus network infrastructure development and bus rapid transit programmes;
- €200 million to allow for completion of the Luas Cross City project. Funding for the development of the project was also provided under the previous Capital Plan;
- €120 million to complete the City Centre Re-signalling Programme to improve speeds on mainline rail and a new rail Central Traffic Control Centre.
The Phoenix Park Tunnel Link opened in November 2016 and the total capital cost of the project was €13.5 million.
Iarnród Éireann has responsibility for the maintenance and operation of the heavy rail network. In accordance with the requirements of EU law, my Department provides annual capital funding to Iarnród Éireann for the maintenance and renewal of the network under the Infrastructure Manager Multi-Annual Contract (IMMAC). The Capital Plan provided €1.3 billion for this purpose.
Following the mid-term review of the Capital Plan, Budget 2018 provides for an increase in the multi-annual capital investment for public transport with a four-year capital envelope of €2.7 billion over the period 2018-2021. The increased funding will allow roll-out of a number of key programmes to address congestion and emerging capacity constraints on our public transport system across our cities. I expect to include a number of other significant major investments in the forthcoming 10-year plan to be published in the coming months. The 10-year capital plan will also include funding to complete new Metro North, with construction starting in 2021 and passenger services commencing in 2027.
Noting the responsibilities of the NTA and Iarnród Éireann, I have forwarded the Deputy’s question to both organisations for further information in relation to expenditure on the specific projects referred to by the Deputy. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
The deferred reply under Standing Order 42A was forwarded to the Deputy.