The national development plan contains a contingency provision of £500 million for the underground element of the light rail project and the longer term suburban rail development programme.
The geotechnical study on the underground section of Luas was recently completed. The strategic rail study, which addresses the longer term development of the suburban rail network, has just been finalised. These studies and the strategic phase of the bus network review provide important inputs into the work of the Dublin Transportation Office in preparing an updated transportation strategy for the period up to 2016. The work of the DTO will be considered by the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructural Development and Public Private Partnerships at its forthcoming meetings.
When the Government has considered the DTO recommendations and the findings of the studies referred to, it will then be in a position to decide on an updated longer term transportation strategy for the greater Dublin area and on the principal projects and investment priorities flowing from that strategic decision.
I have stated on a number of occasions that the Government will provide any additional resources required to implement the recommendations of these studies. However, the first priority is to ensure the effective expenditure of the £1.6 billion already allocated to public transport and traffic management in the greater Dublin area for the period 2000 to 2016.
