No new rail projects until finances get back on track
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No new rail projects will go ahead until we have more money, the Government admitted yesterday.
Transport Minister Noel Dempsey said that money had been allocated to just two projects -- the Metro North and DART underground in Dublin -- and that all other schemes would be delayed for the foreseeable future.
This means that plans to extend the Luas light-rail system to Lucan, Bray, and Broombridge near Cabra have been put on hold, while the Metro West project linking Tallaght to Dublin Airport will also be now delayed.
The Metro North and DART underground alone are expected to cost in excess of €6.5bn, and all of the projects in the Transport 21 public transport programme were expected to be completed by 2017.
Also expected to be delayed are the Navan train line, while the Tuam to Galway line is likely to stay at the design stage.
Speaking at the opening of the extension of the Red (Tallaght) Luas line to the docklands yesterday, Mr Dempsey said all projects would be brought through the planning process but that building work would not begin until money was available.
Committed
"Both of them, the Metro and DART underground, are in the capital programme going forward," he said. "The Government is absolutely committed to both of those programmes.
"There's a couple of other Luas extensions that will open over the next couple of years, and further ones that are in planning," he said.
"We intend to ensure we can bring all of those through planning and design and then we will build when we have the money to build.
"It's not going to be possible to build within the same timeframe. They will be built as soon as we have the finances."
The 1.5km journey from the Luas stop at Busarus to The Point took just over seven minutes on the first night of operation for the Luas extension into the city's docklands.
Eager young fans going to the Lily Allen concert at The O2 arena crowded onto the tram for the speedy journey.
Trams were also ready to pick the thousands of fans up after the concert and take them back into the city.
The Luas extension to Cherrywood is expected to open in the second half of next year, while an extension to Citywest will open in 2011. Both are part-funded by the private sector.
The Luas Docklands (C1) extension will carry 1.8 million passengers a year. There are four stops -- George's Dock, Mayor Square, Spencer Dock and The Point.
Public consultation on the line began in January 2001, and the final route was selected in November 2003.
Work began in February 2007 after planning permission was secured, and it cost €90m to build and was completed on time and within budget.
Direction
Journey times from Tallaght to The Point will take 52 minutes, while trams will run in the opposite direction every six and a half minutes at peak times and every eight minutes at all other times on weekdays.
Railway Procurement Agency chief executive Frank Allen said he was delighted the first new extension to Luas was ready to go into service.
- Paul Melia
Irish Independent
