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

I will start with that. I agree with the Cathaoirleach. We have to think long term. Dublin and the surrounding counties are going to continue to develop. We need the metro. The strategic rail review did look at this issue, especially the capacity constraints on the M1 coming from north to south. While it is a longer-term recommendation, it recommended an interurban rail spur going through the airport and further south into the city. It also looked at exactly what the Cathaoirleach was describing, that connection from the commuter line across. I remember thinking about extending it from Lissenhall to Donabate. That is not in the existing planning application so it will not form part of the first phase but, by whatever mechanism it is done, the strategic rail review has made a recommendation based on modelling that backs up what the Cathaoirleach is saying. That is for the longer term. It is going to take some time. We have to build the metro.

I keep coming back to the point that Dublin is going to develop along the public transport routes we are investing in because there are no road plans for Dublin. There are none that would work so it has to be public transport. There is no road capacity that could be provided that would in any way address Dublin's transport issues. Because these projects and the land use plans connected to them are now so advanced, it will happen. The national planning framework is quite strong and clear on that. Even if you are building in the surrounding counties, you have to build on the rail lines rather than on the roads because, if you build on the roads, it will not work. You are coming to the M50, which is going to be gridlocked, and, when you get inside the M50, you are in a city that is bus-led with BusConnects corridors, so it just does not work to develop outwards on a car-based model. It cannot happen and will not work. The national planning framework agreed by Government yesterday doubles down on, copper-fastens and agrees with that.

I was listening to Senator Horkan while he was speaking and I was thinking it was like the old Fianna Fáil line: a lot done, a lot more to do.