Plans for a Dublin metro were revived this week when the head of the Madrid system gave the Government a lesson in cost control, writes Arthur Beesley, Political Reporter
The president of the Madrid metro, Prof Manuel Melis Maynar, met the Cabinet infrastructure group this week, where plans for an underground rail system in Dublin were being discussed.
His spirited presentation was followed almost immediately by the announcement by the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, that the Dublin metro initiative "was back on the agenda".
Such a network would link Dublin Airport with the city centre. The section between St Stephen's Green and Broadstone would be built underground in what would be one of the most challenging engineering projects ever undertaken in Ireland.
The development came two days after Mr Brennan received revised cost projections from the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA).An earlier estimation had all but ruled out a Dublin metro on the basis of its high cost at €4.7 billion.
While Mr Brennan is now expected to seek Cabinet approval for the plan before the end of July, he said the project could proceed only if 24-hour tunnelling and shorter consultation periods were introduced.
He also suggested that a special Bill might be required to enable the Government to by-pass parts of the planning process.
In doing so, he borrowed more than a few ideas from Prof Melis Maynar. The "can-do" story of the Madrid metro initiative, which was delivered in record time at minimal cost, was enough to persuade Mr Brennan that the Dublin project was feasible.
The Spanish build 56km of metro line in four years at a cost of €1.45 billion. Typical cost-saving features were the use of standardised station designs.
In glaring contrast, the 16km Jubilee line in London cost €5.1 billion and took nine years to build.
So Prof Melis Maynar went to his meeting with the Government with good credentials. In addition to Mr Brennan, the meeting was attended by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, the Tánaiste, Ms Harney, and senior officials.
Sources said the professor gave a humorous account of the story of the Madrid metro, and told his audience that the limestone under Dublin was ideal for a metro.
Prof Melis Maynar had visited the site of the Dublin Port Tunnel, and produced a lump of limestone during the meeting to illustrate some of his points.
When he was finished speaking, Prof Melis Maynar asked Mr Ahern whether he had any questions.
"When can you start?" was the response of the Taoiseach.
If the professor provided encouragement, it was the revised RPA paper that fleshed out the plan. The RPA, which is also responsible for the Luas initiative, told Mr Brennan on Monday that the metro plan could be delivered for €3.4 billion, a full €1.3 billion less than the original estimate.
People in Government circles said this revision caused a degree of "bemusement" among certain Ministers.
While certain senior figures noted that the original estimate was almost enough to kill the initiative at birth, Mr Brennan now appears determined to push ahead with the plan on the basis of the lower figure.
The RPA chairman, Dr Padraic White, has defended the original plan, stating that new estimates involved 24-hour tunnelling, simpler designs and fewer stops.
"Madrid is at the extreme end of what is possible internationally. We would now be mid-way in terms of cost internationally."
This latest RPA estimate of €3.4 billion is still bigger than the overall estimate of some €2.6 billion that was apparently mooted by Prof Melis Maynar.
The crucial question of financing remains. The Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, is likely to remind Mr Brennan of this sum when the Cabinet discusses the plan.