Only one of 'big three' transport projects to go ahead, says Minister

JUST ONE of the “big three” transport projects – Metro North, Dart Underground and the Luas interconnector – will go ahead in the next five years, Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar said yesterday.

Speaking as he attended a tram test on the Citywest Luas extension in west Dublin, Mr Varadkar said he was determined one project would go ahead but there would be no money for the other two.

Mr Varadkar said a decision on which projects would proceed would not be made before September, the deadline for his review of all capital spending by his department.

All three projects were among key Transport 21 initiatives announced in 2005. But yesterday Mr Varadkar said Transport 21 was based on different assumptions. It was based on an economy that was awash with cash and a city that was growing dramatically. “We are not awash with cash anymore and our city is not growing any more,” he said.

Mr Varadkar said the two runner-up projects would be progressed to “railway order” status, in effect planning permission for the projects, and then mothballed until the State had the money to progress them further.

While a “strong case” could be made for Metro North, he added: “The question the Government has to answer between now and September is, first of all, do we have the exchequer funding to pay for the exchequer part of it, and is the private funding going to be available.”

He said all three projects were to be assessed against a number of criteria: “first of all the availability of finance; secondly the cost benefit analyses, which are done already for two of the projects; and things like the impact on customers.” He also said the review would look at “which one would benefit the most people, which one is likely to cover its costs, and which one is the best in terms of emissions for climate change – but that is the whole point of having the review,” he said.

He had already directed that “funds not used by the NRA this year” should be used to repair secondary, regional and local roads, in a move that would result in “hundreds of contracts mainly for small, local firms this year”, he said

Work will also begin in coming weeks on a new national development plan 2012-2018, a move that was promised in the programme for government.

Mr Varadkar declined to say which of the big three projects was his preferred choice, in advance of the review. But he said nobody could doubt the case for Metro North.

“It really is excellent. It is not just a train line to the airport – it goes to Swords, it links up the Maynooth-Connolly line, it links up the Luas, it serves DCU, it serves the Mater.”

However, Fianna Fáil Senator Darragh O’Brien accused Mr Varadkar of making “the wrong call” in not approving enabling works for Metro North and including it in the review. “To facilitate construction utilities, pipes and telecommunications running under O’Connell Street need to be moved.” He said it was important this happen now.

The Luas extension Mr Varadkar was inspecting is due to open in July. The 4.2km track will leave the existing Red Line at Belgard and serve stops located at Fettercairn, Cheeverstown, Citywest, Fortunestown and Saggart.

The extension is expected to attract some two million passenger journeys each year from the west Tallaght area. The cost of the extension is €150 million and the journey time to the city centre is expected to be 55 minutes.

The new service will offer a tram every 10 minutes at peak, while the frequency on the Tallaght branch is to be every six minutes.