Cullen under pressure to reveal cost of metro plan

Minister for Transport Martin Cullen was coming under pressure last night to reveal details of the cost of Dublin's proposed Metro North project and the financing arrangements for it.

The pressure from Opposition politicians came after Mr Cullen published the route and the timetable for construction of the Metro line, but refused to say how much it will cost.

The 17-kilometre line, which is to run from St Stephen's Green to Lissenhall, north of Swords, via Dublin airport, is due to be completed by 2012. It will have an interchange with the Iarnród Éireann services on the proposed Heuston to Connolly interconnector at a location below St Stephen's Green. It will also have a station under the Liffey at O'Connell Bridge with access to Abbey Street where passengers can change to the Luas Red line.

An interchange with suburban services on the Maynooth line is to be developed at Drumcondra railway station.

The route also serves the Mater hospital, Dublin City University, Ballymun, a park and ride site north of the M50, and Swords.

Journey times are scheduled to be 17 minutes between St Stephen's Green and the airport, and the line will have a capacity for more than 20,000 passengers per hour, according to Mr Cullen.

However, citing commercial sensitivity arising from the public-private partnership financing mechanism, Mr Cullen yesterday refused to say how much the Metro project would cost.

In 2003, estimates of a cost of €4.8 billion for a metro serving Dublin airport provoked protest from politicians and commentators who felt the price was too high.

It subsequently emerged that European underground metros could be built for about €100 million a kilometre, excluding stations, which were priced at €100 million each on average. On this basis the Dublin Metro North would cost €1.7 billion for the line and another €1.5 billion for the stations.

Enhanced stations such as that at O'Connell Bridge with its access to Abbey Street would be more expensive, as would the interchange with Iarnród Éireann below St Stephen's Green. Additional costs would also have to be factored in for the Drumcondra interchange with suburban rail. This would give an indicative cost in the region of at least €3.5 billion.

Fine Gael's spokeswoman on transport, Olivia Mitchell, said Mr Cullen's refusal to state the budget was "tantamount to writing a blank cheque with taxpayers' money". She said the Minister was being "disingenuous" in implying that publishing a budget would influence the price. "In this, as in every other public project, it is the competitive tendering system which determines the price" she said.

Labour Party spokeswoman on transport Róisín Shortall said she was concerned that "no detailed costings are yet available for what will probably be the biggest transport initiative ever undertaken in this country".