Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 September 2020
51. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Transport the detail of the programme for Government proposal on DART expansion; if it will include the DART underground; if the DART routes will be expanded further into County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16048/20]
View answerThe DART+ Programme, formerly known as the DART Expansion Programme, is a multi-billion euro programme to upgrade rail services in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA). DART+ will effectively double the capacity of the exisiting network and DART level services and infrastructure will be extended to Drogheda on the Northern Line, Maynooth and M3 Parkway on the Maynooth/Dunboyne Line and Hazelhatch on the Kildare Line.
Completion of DART+ will mean that all rail lines in county Dublin are served by DART.
The Programme for Government – Our Shared Future prioritises delivery of the DART+ programme and, as required by the Public Spending Code , preparation of a preliminary business case is well underway which, when completed, I will bring to Government for decision and I very much forward to seeing the DART+ programme progress in the coming years.
The Programme for Government – Our Shared Future also references the DART Underground proposal and that proposal will be re-examined as part of the National Transport Authority’s review of the Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area which is underway and will be subject to a public consultation next year.
