Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

It would be nice if the Minister answered the question. Has his Department done any research since the study, A Platform for Change, was produced in 2002? The Government approved it as official policy, within which an indicative timescale was included. This Rathfarnham Luas line, which would connect with the Dundrum line, through the connectivity about which the Minister spoke earlier, would commence, possibly, in 2006 and be completed by 2010. Given that the Government has officially approved this route, that it has an indicative timetable and the broad research on it is done, what further research has the Minister done on it? Has he an estimated cost on the proposal and when does he think it can be completed? As the Minister has not answered my question, I presume he has not got those details. How can he consider this project as an example within the ten-year frame if he has not done the detailed cost and route analysis to work out whether it is one of the projects that should go ahead?

As a Deputy for the area, I think the route should go ahead. From my awareness of the logjams day in and day out in the area, I think this project would give a much better return than many of the mad, over-designed roads being built around the country. This route, like the hugely successful other Luas lines, would carry tens of thousands of people in and out of Dublin every day. The Government has officially approved this route as evidenced by the plan approved before the last election and the initial route work has been done by the DTO. Has the Minister followed up on that and done the detailed cost estimates and research so that it can be included in the ten-year plan?

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