Vol. 890 No. 1
1. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on plans to abandon progress of the DART underground project for Dublin; the reason he favours the Luas connection to Dublin Airport over alternative rail projects; the details of the business case for this project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32181/15]
Yesterday it appeared the Minister sought to get the bad news out ahead of the Government's capital plan which, we understand, is due to be announced next week. In doing so, he indicated the Government's proposes to postpone or abandon progress on the DART underground project for Dublin. In recent weeks, he also indicated he favoured the Luas connection to Dublin Airport over the alternative heavy rail project, better known as metro north. Will he outline his reasoning behind this?
This question appears to have been based on media commentary and conjecture in recent weeks which, I hope is apparent from yesterday, was not fully the case. As announced yesterday, the Government has agreed that the DART underground project should be redesigned to provide a lower cost technical solution. It is certainly not being cancelled. Indeed, the overall DART expansion project, of which the underground tunnel is a critical element, remains central to the Government's strategy to meet the growing transport needs of the greater Dublin area.
As originally designed, however, the underground tunnel element would have accounted for approximately €3 billion of what would have been an overall cost of €4 billion for the whole DART expansion programme. At the Government's request, the National Transport Authority, NTA, carried out an updated analysis of the business case and found the tunnel element of the programme could be redesigned to deliver a lower cost technical solution while maintaining the full connectivity of the original programme. The Government has now agreed that this redesign should proceed and this work will be funded under the new capital plan which will be announced shortly. The Government has also decided other elements of the DART expansion programme will be progressed under the new capital programme, including specifically the DART extension to Balbriggan and other works to increase frequency of existing services.
It is imperative we invest in our transport system to ensure we can meet growing demand and ensure congestion does not hinder economic growth. It is also important that in our investment strategy, we plan appropriately so that areas which will see major development and population growth in the future, such as north Dublin, will be properly served by public transport. I am confident the forthcoming capital plan will deliver on these objectives.
There is still some confusion, particularly regarding the DART underground project. Yesterday, the Minister indicated he remained unconvinced of the business case for the project. That is notwithstanding the fact that previous transport appraisals by the NTA indicated the project would provide exceptionally high value for money based on the traditional cost-benefit analysis. It gave a benefit-to-cost ratio, BCR, of 2.4, with an even higher value for money when the wider economic benefits of the project are taken into account. It gave an appraisal of 4 in that BCR.
In anybody's analysis this is a strong business case. What criteria did the Minister use to provide his own personal analysis which led him to a conclusion that he was unconvinced that it represented value for money? Did he use a different metric or was he just not happy with the NTA's metric? This morning he indicated that his intention, to some extent, is to look at a redesigned project. That is effectively pushing the project down the road. It is a delay and a loss to the development of Dublin city. This morning, the Web Summit chief executive, Mr. Paddy Cosgrave, announced it is being lost to Lisbon for the next three years. These are the kind of decisions that get taken on the back of poor infrastructure and a lack of commitment by the Government to invest in same. We can see the repercussions already from this delay in dealing with critical missing infrastructure which would have a significant benefit to our overall rail network.
If I may go back to one of the earlier questions the Deputy posed to me on the conjecture on the option for the northside of Dublin city that I did not fully answer, I have not given an indication to anybody regarding what that plan will be because I have not brought it to Cabinet. I will only make an announcement regarding what the plan will be when I have secured Cabinet approval. While I have been approached by many as to what the plan will be, I will make that announcement with the Government when the Cabinet has approved it. Then I will answer questions in this House, and elsewhere, about the plan.
On the Deputy's question on the business case, the NTA re-evaluated the business case in light of the new economy in which we find ourselves. It published this business case on its website yesterday afternoon. The consequence of its re-evaluation is that the positive cost-benefit appraisal that the Deputy quoted earlier has now changed. In light of what has happened in the economy, the tunnel itself - information which is in the public arena - has a cost-benefit ratio of 0.8 and the overall project has one of 1.4. That business case, which has been published and is available for all to see, formed the core of the decision I made.
We can move on then to the other part of the question, which the Minister talked about, regarding the connection between Swords and Dublin. It appears to me these are informed leaks. Maybe they are not. Maybe it is entirely conjecture, as the Minister claims, on the part of numerous media outlets. To those of us who have been around this House for a number of years, we understand how and why certain information ends up on the front page or between the covers of various media publications. It is usually an exercise in softening up.
It appears an effort has been made by the Minister and his Department to get the bad news out and then cushion it next week when he announces the capital plan with all the positives. We have seen this in other ways of how the Government does its business. It now appears the Minister has been minded to follow the same route.
While I accept there has been no announcement and that these decisions will have to be taken at Cabinet level, it is very clear to all of us that have some interest in this area that there appears to be a softening up of public opinion away from a serious investment in the heavy rail option, better known as metro north, and the provision of a comprehensive solution to the needs of commuters in the region.
I have not given any indication to anybody, public or private, beyond close Government colleagues regarding what the recommendation will be. When I have my recommendation to take to Cabinet, I will look for Government approval and at that point I will make an announcement and be subject to questioning by Deputy Timmy Dooley and other Members of the Dáil on it.
On two elements of the point the Deputy made earlier, the so-called bad news of yesterday, if this project were to happen in its current format it would involve €4 billion worth of taxpayers’ money. Not only would it be the largest transport project ever undertaken in the history of the State, by some order of magnitude it would be the largest project our country has ever undertaken. The reality is that the business case that informed the project and the assumptions underpinning it relate to a decade ago. I have a responsibility to look at the business case in the light of where we are now to make sure that we have a project that is affordable and of the right scale to meet what we now know the economy will look like in a decade’s time.
If I may, I will offer one point to the Deputy in relation to his description of metro projects. A key part of metro projects, as they are done elsewhere across the world, is that they are capable of being integrated with existing land transport networks. I have always made clear that would be crucial in terms of any project I would take to Cabinet.
I thank the Minister very much. We are way over time on that question. Deputy Dessie Ellis has the next Priority Question.
2. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans for the future of the Irish rail network after a period of cuts to subvention and moves to liberalise rail services across Europe supported by the European Union. [32199/15]
I wish to ask the Minister about his plans for the future of the Irish Rail network after a period of cuts to the subvention and other cuts, and moves to liberalise rail services across Europe, supported by the European Union. I wish the Minister to please make a statement on the matter.
Irish Rail remains in a difficult financial situation and has incurred losses in each of the past seven years, with accumulated losses of more than €150 million in that period. CIE and its subsidiaries are dependent on continued bank funding and new banking facilities, agreed in 2013, contain a number of financial covenants, all of which were met in 2014. More demanding bank covenant targets will have to be met this year and in later years. For the first time since 2008, the level of public service obligation, PSO, funding for rail services is being maintained in 2015 at the same level as in 2014. I was also able to secure an additional €101 million in funding for public transport companies in a Supplementary Estimate at the end of last year, which included €45 million for Irish Rail's network renewal investment. In July this year, I also announced an additional €100 million for my Department's capital programme. Of this, €29 million will deliver much needed maintenance on rail rolling stock and a further €9 million is being allocated towards the rail safety programme.
While there have been some positive signs, including a reduction in Irish Rail's deficit in 2014 to €2 million and an increase in passenger numbers in 2014 for the first time since 2008, the underlying financial picture remains extremely challenging. I remain strongly supportive of the efforts to secure Irish Rail's financial sustainability so that rail services can be provided efficiently and cost effectively.
With regard to the latter part of the Deputy's question concerning EU discussions on the opening of the domestic rail passenger markets to competition, Ireland, along with a number of other member states, has fundamental concerns with the proposed reforms. I met the Commissioner in Brussels two weeks ago and pointed to the difficulties posed to the Irish rail sector and indicated that Ireland could not agree to mandatory opening under any circumstances. I believe we will find a solution that will not pose risks to the Irish rail sector.
Irish Rail has been the poor relation for many years and there have been many cuts to the rail network, in particular to the subvention. I am pleased to hear the Minister say he is at least maintaining funding at 2014 levels, but that is still a cutback because of inflation and other issues. We are not supporting the network and we need to put more money into it. What plans does the Minister have to improve and increase the rail service in future? Parts of the rail service to the west need to be improved. Is the Minister planning to expand on the service?
The EU directives are a further drive towards privatisation. The Minister said he plans to opt out of the mandatory impositions that have been introduced by Europe. If the Minister reaches a compromise, it is very likely that we will see a further drive towards privatisation because that seems to be the direction in which the EU is moving. There is much friction with workers in Irish Rail. I urge the Minister to take a hands-on approach when it comes to many of the issues I have outlined.
Last year, I secured an additional €45 million for Irish Rail and this year, I secured an additional €38 million for Irish Rail on top of the Estimates that were announced at budget time in each year. During my tenure in office I have done all that was possible to respond to the challenges Irish Rail faces. I am well aware of the challenges different parts of the rail network face. The Minister of State, Deputy Michael Ring, constantly raises with me the different needs the west faces in all of the various transport networks available to the area.
On the question of mandatory tendering of the Irish rail market, in addition to articulating my views on concerns about what the policy would mean to a rail market of the scale in this country, I travelled and met the Commissioner in a bilateral meeting and made very clear that I did not believe mandatory tendering of an entire rail network was appropriate given its scale and the way it is organised.
The Minister said he is opposed to mandatory tendering but I hope we do not go down the road of tendering out. I accept the Minister said he has been given a directive from the EU but we must find some way of stopping the drive towards privatisation.
The rail service is and should be for the people. A positive aspect of the rail network is that there has been an increase in the number of passengers right across the country. There is scope to develop and improve. I accept Irish Rail owes a huge amount of money. The Minister referred to €150 million. The Government should write the figure off. We should not place demands on the rail network to meet its debts. The State has a responsibility to look after the rail network, the bus routes and other transport elements. To me, that is a sign of a state that is working.
The Minister should conclude.
Deputy Dessie Ellis said I should write the figure off. How am I to do that? It is a loss of €150 million that is sitting on the balance sheet of an independent State company. Earlier this morning I saw that the Deputy’s party was calling for the complete abolition of the property tax, yet at the same time he is asking me to write off losses of €150 million and to find more money to put into the rail network. That is further evidence of the kind of economics that will ruin our country.
That would show responsibility and a commitment to the State.
I do have a responsibility, namely, to do what I can to put the right investment into Irish Rail and where appropriate to look to invest in it. I did not see Deputy Ellis’s press release or statement acknowledging the fact that this year alone we put an additional €38 million into Irish Rail although he has asked that I would unilaterally write off the losses of a company that is currently dependent on funding from large banks.
I want to mention briefly the other point. While workers in Irish Rail are considering their future options, I want to reiterate the points I have just made. The Government, the Minister of State, Deputy Ring, and I have in recent times done all we can, where possible, to invest more in Irish Rail. My views in regard to the future of the Irish Rail network and the need to have the appropriate policy in place are being strongly represented in the European Union.
3. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will confirm that it is his intention not to proceed with the DART underground at this time; his rationale for this decision; his view on whether it is the case that no other proposed option could deliver the network-wide capacity increase needed in the Dublin region, the population of which is expected to grow by 400,000 by 2030; if he will reverse this decision in advance of the deadline for activating compulsory purchase orders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32056/15]
My question relates to the DART underground or interconnector, which is essentially the 21st-century piece to connect up the investment that was made in the 19th century in the four primary rail lines that come into the city. It is the piece that would allow the capacity constraints to be eliminated and it could deliver the difference between 33 million passenger journeys and 100 million passenger journeys, so it is a critical piece of infrastructure.
I thank the Deputy for her question. She has raised this matter with me at every Question Time I have taken in the Dáil since I took over this Department. Her description of the project is accurate in terms of its future importance. The business case, which was published yesterday afternoon by the National Transport Authority and which I have made fully available to the public, illustrates that the assumptions made over a decade ago in regard to what transport use would look like in the future are very different from where we are now, although those assumptions were made for good reasons and I understand why they were made.
The tunnel alone is a €3 billion project. If I am going to recommend expenditure like that, which means I will not be able to do many other things, including things the Deputy has raised with me on other occasions, I have to be absolutely confident that this project is engineered appropriately, is cost-effective and will meet needs that we realistically believe will materialise. From my analysis of the business case, which is available for the public and the Deputy to see, it was very clear to me that there is a need for the tunnel to be redesigned. Money for that redesign is included in the capital plan that will be announced, as I confirmed publicly yesterday. Other elements of the project will go ahead, such as the extension of the DART to Balbriggan and improvements to the control centre in the city centre to allow capacity to increase, and we will also begin the works in regard to rail electrification on the portions of the lines to which the Deputy has referred.
The one feature of this interconnector that is consistent is that of postponement. It is not just the Minister's fault, as this has been talked about for over 30 years. I remember it being part of the Dublin transportation initiative in the early 1990s, when it was a critical piece of infrastructure. This has a cost in terms of congestion. We need to look at this in the way people in the 19th century looked at the investment in rail; it has to be seen in a very long timeframe. We can see that the costs of insurance are rising, not just for people in the city but around the country. Traffic accidents happen to a greater degree at peak times than at any other time. We have climate obligations which mean we will be handing over hard cash due to a failure to change our habits in terms of moving from our dependence on the car to rail.
This is the big game-changer. This is the project that can really deliver a return. Welcome and all as it is, we are adding an extra line into an already congested scenario where the existing train lines do not operate in an efficient way and do not connect up. This is short-sighted and we are going to pay a price for it into the future, big time.
It is precisely due to the need for better integration of our public transport network and to increase its capacity that the Government is funding the Luas Cross City project and making it happen. We are extending the Luas to Cabra and Phibsborough. We are joining up the Luas in the city centre, and that work is under way. This is the subject of the next question from Deputy Dooley. It is also because of the need to increase capacity on public transport that we have opened up the Phoenix Park tunnel, a project that has been talked about for decades. It is a tunnel that has been in existence for nearly 150 years. It is now being reopened and will be open for business next year, carrying an additional 1 million passengers on public transport.
While the Deputy's analysis in regard to the need for greater integration of public transport is correct, I have a question for her. Where would she find the €4 billion to pay for this project?
This project must be seen in the same way as the 19th-century investment in the railways. That was the biggest investment in the country in that century, and we are still reaping a benefit from it. We have to see this in terms of long-term return. It has to be factored in that the population of this city and the surrounding counties is projected to grow by some 400,000 people up to 2030. In fact, since the last census, there are more people now living in Dublin city and county than are living in the whole of Munster. What we are constantly doing is adding to the size of the city without putting in the things that would make the city run smoothly, so it can be a truly 21st-century city that does not have the kind of congestion that we saw last week, when there was a fire in Dublin Port Tunnel. When such an incident occurs, the whole of the city closes down and every business and every person who needs to go to work or to a hospital is constrained because of that one thing. We do not have the kind of alternatives we need to have for this city, the surrounding counties and the whole country due to the under-investment in this area. It is not all on the Minister's watch, because this has been planned for a very long time, but the decision is being postponed again. There is no other way of saying it.
I am disappointed with the Deputy's reply. I do my best, when I come to the House, to answer all of the questions that are put to me. I accept many of the points the Deputy is making, but I have also pointed to the fact that, in regard to the very integration she refers to, investment is under way. The Luas Cross City project is being built, the Phoenix Park tunnel is being opened up, more money has been found in the last 18 months to invest in the bus fleets of Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus, which is evident in the number of new buses they have ordered and that are now available, and public service obligation funding is unchanged for the first time in six years. All of this reflects my appreciation of the role of public transport and my knowledge that public transport is core to how we will meet some of the broader issues to which the Deputy has referred, such as emissions and how we cope with a growing population.
I put a simple question to the Deputy. Where would she find the €4 billion to carry out this project?
We do not have time for that now. I call Deputy Timmy Dooley.
4. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on the proposals of the National Transport Authority and Dublin City Council contained in the Dublin city centre transport study to restrict access to private cars and reduce the number of parking spaces in Dublin city centre; and his views on whether limited parking availability poses a risk to retail custom in the city centre. [32182/15]
The Minister is aware that the Dublin City Centre Transport Study seeks to restrict access to private cars and reduce the number of parking spaces in Dublin city centre. I would appreciate the Minister's views on that in light of comments from the business community, which has very grave concerns as to the impact of this on retail business within the environs of the city.
The Dublin City Centre Transport Study, to which the Deputy refers, is a study that was jointly carried out by the National Transport Authority, NTA, and Dublin City Council, DCC, to assess transport-related issues in the core city centre area in light of changes resulting from the Luas Cross City project in particular. The study covers all modes of transport, including walking and cycling, as well as car and public transport. The study was published by the NTA and DCC in June and there was a very significant public consultation process on it over the course of the summer, which generated substantial interest from stakeholders. I understand that more than 7,700 submissions were received in response to the consultation process and that a factual report on these submissions has been submitted to the city council's strategic transport policy committee.
I am advised by the National Transport Authority that, along with Dublin City Council, it is engaging individually with some of the key stakeholders concerned, notably some of the large retailers and car park operators in the city centre, and a number of meetings will take place with these stakeholders over the coming weeks before the authority and the council report back to DCC's strategic transport policy committee. I welcome this level of engagement on this important matter and I am assured that all key stakeholders are being given the opportunity to have their views and concerns known and understood.
I hoped the Minister would have set out his views at the outset. He is aware that should the parking restrictions and reductions proposed by the NTA and the Dublin city executive be implemented, this could have a damaging impact on retail business in Dublin city centre. I ask again whether the Minister will outline for the House his views as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport and as a Deputy in the area? As the Minister is aware, under his guidance the NTA has made the transport plan into a war on private motorists and cars in general. I believe that is a naive approach.
If we look at some of the other studies that have been done, it is clear that if the proposals as outlined are implemented, this will have a very destabilising effect on retail activity within the city centre. In recent years, we have all agreed with changes to planning laws which have restricted the development of a doughnut effect, in other words, the pulling of retail activity into large centres on the outskirts of towns and cities. I believe the intended proposal, based on what has been published, would have that hollowing-out effect on the city centre of Dublin. This would have a damaging impact on the life of the city overall. I would like to hear the Minister's view on this.
I believe the Deputy is overstating the situation somewhat in describing it as a war under way in regard to car users or the use of cars in the city centre. I have had the opportunity to meet many of the retailers concerned about these plans. I also am aware of the concerns of organisations which run car parks. The Deputy has pointed out that I represent many of the areas that are affected by this and I am aware of that.
In regard to my view on the matter, I support the objectives of Dublin City Council and the National Transport Authority. The reason for this is that much of the work they are doing is driven by the fact that the cross-city Luas will be operational across the centre of the north side of the city in 2017 and, due to this change, there will be a need to make changes in how traffic flow is organised in the city centre, as has happened with the bus gate in College Green. One-on-one meetings are now happening directly with retailers and car park owners who could be affected by this change. I believe we can find a medium through which we can deal with the concerns they are articulating while protecting the huge investment of the taxpayer in the expansion of the Luas.
I take the Minister's point. We all accept the principle of the modal shift away from the car towards public transport for appropriate journeys. However, when it comes to shopping and general retail interaction, a car is required by shoppers. The study recommends the shutting down of multi-storey car parks in the city centre, despite that compared with other cities, Dublin has an under-supply of car parking spaces for the retail area. For example, Dublin has 10,000 car parking spaces, the same number as Bristol which is one third the size of Dublin. This puts into context our position from the international perspective.
While I fully accept the necessity to move people away from cars to public transport for appropriate journeys, I believe shutting car parking spaces in the general vicinity of the retail infrastructure of the city will have a long-term negative impact on that business. This will lead to a hollowing out of activity in the city centre. This has happened in cities across the United States and in some parts of Europe. It would be a wrong and regressive step if this study is implemented. I would like to see the Minister take an active role in meeting the business and retail communities to try to ensure we get a more balanced approach.
I must call the Minister to reply. I must be fair to other Deputies.
I will meet more representatives from the Dublin retail industry tomorrow to hear their views on the matter. The Deputy referred to the potential for hollowing out of the city centre. Few developments are more capable of doing huge damage to the vibrancy of our city centre than immense levels of congestion and the inability of people to travel into the city because of the lack of availability of quality public transport.
From the point of view of transport, my objectives in regard to the development of our city centre are clear. I want to have a city centre that is more attractive to live, sell and invest in. To achieve that, we need projects like the extension of the Luas green line to deliver the kind of modal shift to which the Deputy referred. Intensive consultation with individual businesses is under way to see how we can come with a way of doing this which does what it can to meet the needs of the different stakeholders in the city centre. I reiterate that all this is being done to ensure the €370 million investment the taxpayer has made in the cross-city Luas project works in the way intended.
5. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the rationale for no longer progressing with the DART underground project; and his plans for improving Dublin transport links with commuter towns and the airport through a further Luas extension. [32200/15]
What is the rationale for no longer progressing with the DART underground project? I know the Minister has made some comments on this matter, but this question predates that. What are the Minister's plans for improving Dublin transport links with commuter towns and the airport through a further Luas extension and what are the reasons for these?
As I have covered this matter already, I will just reiterate two points so that we will have more time to deal with any further points the Deputy wishes to make.
On the second question, there has been some speculation that I recommended the extension of the Luas and a particular route. I have not brought any recommendation to Cabinet on this matter, but I will do so soon. When I have brought that recommendation to Cabinet, and hopefully gained Cabinet approval, I will make the recommendation clear and public, as I did with my decision yesterday, and will then come to the House and answer questions on the matter.
In regard to DART underground, I have covered the matter already. However, I reiterate that we have not cancelled the project. What we have sought to do is to find a way for the tunnel to be redesigned at a more affordable cost for the taxpayer and in a way that more realistically meets the demands we expect in the future. As I said, this project was conceived, developed and designed over a decade ago. Our country has changed significantly since then and in ten or 20 years time will look very different from how people thought it would look in 2003 and 2004.
I understand from what the Minister has said that the DART underground project is being shelved for the moment. I know there were six projects under consideration originally, one of which was metro north. Has the bus rapid transit, BRT, plan been shelved because metro north is being considered? There are figures and speculation in the newspapers on this issue. Both the Minister and I know that there were three different options for metro north and that some €150 million was spent. Now we are being told the project will cost far less. The original figure was €2.5 billion, but now the newspapers suggest it will be €1.9 billion and that this can be achieved by reducing the number of stations and considering other options. The Minister has not given a straight answer in regard to what option he would prefer.
He says he has to bring it to his colleagues but there is a big case to be made for the metro north, in particular, and the effect it would have in terms of the amount of traffic it would take off the streets, the amount of employment it would create and the connectivity it would bring to the airport. Further, is it the Drumcondra route up through Ballymun to the airport that we are still talking about or is the Cabra option, cutting across Glasnevin and going underground, still being explored?
I thank Deputy Ellis. I reiterate that we are not talking about the cancellation of DART underground in the future. However, the tunnel, as designed more than a decade ago, is no longer appropriate or proportionate to what we believe our country is going to look like in the coming decades. The tunnel alone would cost €3 billion, which means that there are many other projects in Dublin that we would not be able to do, not to mention all of the other transport needs that have to be met across the entire country, a matter on which I will be answering questions later.
On the north Dublin transport study and where it stands at present, it is not really a case - and I say this respectfully - of me not giving Deputy Ellis a straight answer. I am telling him exactly where the process stands, which is that when I have made a final decision on the project and obtain the approval of Government, I will announce the decision and answer his questions on it. As the Deputy knows, the metro route and the Luas route to which he has referred were in the final six options the National Transport Authority recommended for further evaluation. Those are the matters that are being considered.
We have spoken about metro north so many times. We have one of the fastest-growing suburbs, Swords, and, on the face of it, that option seems to be one of the ones we would get most return out of at this stage. If the metro or one of the other options is being considered, is the bus rapid transit, BRT, system off the table altogether now? I know the Minister is probably obliged to discuss it with his colleagues, but I am sure the NTA has given him an opinion on whether there is any point in proceeding with the BRT if we are still considering the metro north option.
I apologise to Deputy Ellis because I did not answer his question on the BRT and the specific point he put to me earlier. We need to find new ways to increase the capacity of our bus network. No matter what changes we make in the future, the form of public transport most likely to carry most people across our country is bus and this will be done by Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus. Hence, there is a need to find out how we can increase the capacity of our bus network. BRT offers the best way of doing that. As Deputy Ellis knows, there are there different options for bus rapid transit that are being considered across the city. I guess the Deputy is referring to the Swords BRT, given his interest in the area and that part of the city. I will be deciding the case in relation to Swords BRT when I am clear on the longer-term transport option for the north side of the city and when it would be open.
