Dublin-Kildare rail work going to plan, says Minister

A MAJOR upgrade of the Dublin-Kildare rail line, part of the Government's Transport 21 programme, will be completed on time and on budget, Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey has said.

Speaking at the opening of a new €14 million station on the Kildare route yesterday, Mr Dempsey said he was "very much aware that the project has to be completed by 2010" to ease the "suffering" of passengers.

His assurances follow several months of speculation that major transport projects promised in Transport 21 are under threat because of the economic downturn. "This project [ the Kildare line] will be delivered and it will be delivered on time and within budget," he said. The Government is spending €350 million to treble the capacity of the commuter lines from Kildare to Dublin from 11,000 to 34,000 passengers per day. The project involves building a four-track system to allow two dedicated tracks for intercity and regional services and two tracks for commuter services.

The new Park West and Cherry Orchard station, which will have the capacity to cater for 3,000 passengers at peak hour for the six minute journey to Heuston station, does not come within the €350 million budget and has been co-funded by Dublin City Council and Park West developer Harcourt Developments. The station will serve a potential 7,000 employees and more than 1,000 residents who are already working and living in the Park West business and residential complex.

It follows the opening of Phoenix Park station and Adamstown station, both of which were built to serve new communities.

However, these stations were entirely funded by developers, while Dublin City Council has paid half of the €14 million cost of the Park West and Cherry Orchard station.

Fianna Fáil councillor Charlie Ardagh, representing the lord mayor at yesterday's event, said the new station was replacing the existing Cherry Orchard station and it was a council policy decision to build the station under a public private partnership with Harcourt Developments .