Ms Anne Graham:

As the Chairman knows, we are the transport planners for the greater Dublin area. There is a transport plan in place for the greater Dublin area which does not contemplate a rail line to Navan at present. The option was objectively assessed on the basis of the population growth that will occur in the Navan area. There are two aspects to the provision of a rail line. The first is the capital cost associated with the provision of the infrastructure and the second relates to the operational costs. We are also bound by the public spending code. One needs a positive business case in order to secure the provision of expenditure on a new rail line. That is one of the aspects associated with the provision of rail infrastructure.

In addition, high daily operating costs are a factor. Rail lines are expensive infrastructure to run. The rail review outlined - in very clear actual figures - how much it costs to run the current rail network and the extent of under-funding. If we are being serious, that is the level of investment we must put into the rail network if we want to provide the same level of service. When it is public money that funds the network, we must be mindful about whether there are more efficient methods of using the funding involved. For example, we have to consider whether it might be possible to provide a more frequent service by bus, either for the same amount or for significantly less, annually.