Brennan says Luas plan is still on track

The Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach has criticised recent reports that the Luas plan for Dublin has effectively been shelved. Mr Seamus Brennan said the report on the underground option for the light-rail system, commissioned by the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, would run in tandem with continuing plans for the design and construction of the overground option.

Mr Brennan insisted this approach would ensure the project was far enough advanced by April to meet the criteria for EU financial assistance, whether or not it was decided to put the city-centre section of the line underground.

Mr Brennan said the review of EU funding for the project scheduled for next spring would assess the Government's commitment to the project and the work done so far. He acknowledged that the public inquiry would be put back "a couple of months", but added that it was a nonsense to suggest the entire plan would have to be finalised early next year.

Maintaining that Ms O'Rourke had given her categorical assurance that construction of the line would begin in 1999, Mr Brennan added that the Government is adamant the scheme will go ahead. "I can't make it plainer," he said. "The train is on track and will be leaving the station."

As to reports that the study of the underground option would delay the project beyond a critical point, Mr Brennan said critics were missing the point that the underground study would be done in tandem with continuing design work.

He was especially critical of the former minister for transport, Mr Alan Dukes, who he said should have listened to his party colleague, Dr Garret FitzGerald, who had been calling for an underground study for some time. Mr Dukes had claimed in the Dail on Tuesday there was a Government decision to "effectively scrap" Luas, a matter which Mr Brennan described as "fuelling unfounded concern that the project was shelved".