Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

The Deputy is bang on the money in every sense. That is one of the issues with which I am grappling. I have been asking similar questions in recent weeks to try to establish what exactly should be included. Where does one get best value? I do not just mean best value in terms of money, but also in terms of modal shift and getting people out of cars. The interconnector will encourage a further substantial modal shift because it will be possible to bring the trains directly into the centre of Dublin. That is a completely different concept to where we are at currently. That is why the new train station in the city centre is crucial to a whole range of issues, which cannot work without that station being in place.

The interconnector is a good idea and I see what it does. It also adds a route from Heuston, which will not be a direct line. One must do it in a manner that loops and creates further access and egress at different points along the route in and around the city. It adds another dimension to traffic in and around Dublin. It is a very good proposal, although that is all I am prepared to say at this stage. Unfortunately, I have many good proposals from many different sources. However, some are becoming more clear than others in terms of what they can do.

See this speech in context