Mr. Hugh Creegan:

Updates are largely based on zoning. Let us say a zoned area has a density of 50 houses per hectare. We will have got that information from the local authority and built it into our model, including the projections. If the situation changes then we revise and update our plan. We also conduct sensitivity scenarios and ask ourselves what if the density is higher or lower. Our plan predominantly stems from the zoned areas that local authorities create in their development plans.

The Deputy asked why we did not go further with bus corridors. One will see in the proposed redesign of the bus service, that will be announced next month, that the services start to divide when one travels further out of the city and, therefore, bus frequency starts to drop. We would love to do more but we need to start somewhere. We started with what we view as key routes. There is no problem bolting on something afterwards, if it makes sense.

I think the Deputy referred to the ease of movement between orbital and radial routes, and asked what could be done to address the matter. Such routes will be part of the services plan that will be announced in a few weeks time. The plan will include a lot more orbital routes. The Deputy was right when she said that there must be a seamless transfer from one route to another thus making the routes attractive. If that movement is not simple and easy then it will not be an attractive transfer. The network redesign will provide the timetable information that the Deputy asked about. The information will not say that a bus will come along at 4.02 p.m. or whatever but it will say that we expect to put a service on this route and a bus will come along ever ten minutes in the midday and every five minutes in the peak hours. That information will be provided and people will be able to make a judgment.

The Deputy asked whether there are downsides to the single bore tunnel versus a twin bore tunnel. There are a number of downsides and upsides for both options. Like most things in life, there is no perfect answer. There is one school of thought that says two tunnel tubes is a better idea in the event of an emergency because they allow passengers to move from one tunnel tube to the other tunnel tube through cross passages. However, that requires narrow walkways to be included alongside the edges of the tunnel, which creates issues such as how do wheelchairs use the narrow walkways. The other school of thought is that one tunnel tube is better because one has all of the space of the second track available to offload passengers and thus allow them to move much more easily up and down the track. Most international experience is beginning to move towards the single bore tunnel. Certainly, the design team that is involved with us now has a lot of experience in building a single bore tunnel, addressing all of the safety issues and ending up with a really safe project. There are pluses and minuses.