Mr. Gerry Murphy:

Faced with the existence of the surplus carriages, we commissioned a report by Jacobs Engineering, which has expertise in the rail area. We asked what one should do with the rail carriages. The firm's view was that it would be inappropriate to sell them on as there will be growth in passenger demand in the coming years. Jacobs Engineering asked that we consider the most cost-effective means of storing the rail cars. It has reviewed the whole rail fleet and said one should not dispose of it now because, if one did, one would face further capital investment in the future. The fleet has a rail life of 20 to 30 years. Cost-efficient storage would be the best approach in the public interest. There will be a growth in passenger numbers.

I could not make a projection because the numbers are so volatile. If there were growth in passenger numbers, there would be more revenue to allow us to have more services. We would be able to increase the frequency of services on lines that have inadequate or sub-optimal services at present.