Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I will reiterate what I said to the Limerick city manager in our discussions on the Coonagh to Knockalisheen project and in my earlier response to Deputy Carey. This is influenced by the fact that if we were to proceed with phase 2 and complete along the alignment suggested, that would drawdown a €200 million compensation requirement for us to pay the contractors of the existing tunnel under the River Shannon. There is a contract arrangement to the effect that should a second northern distributor road be built compensation of the order of €200 million would be paid. I asked the Limerick city manager if the council had the money whether it would pay that. He did not answer, but I do not believe it would, and I do not believe we should. I would like to see that €200 million spent on the development of a metropolitan rail link, starting with a station in Moyross, which would be within a short walking distance of Thomond Park and would give people access to LIT and open up hundreds of acres of land owned by the public service, which could be a solution to housing problems for thousands of young people in Limerick and across the country. The first priority is a railway station in Moyross.