Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

I will give the Deputy a copy of what I said when I announced Transport 21. Three feasibility studies and three projects affecting Dublin were announced in Transport 21. These are the orbital route, the eastern bypass and the Rathfarnham-Terenure Luas project. That last project was included in the plan on the day I spoke at the announcement in Dublin Castle. I am glad the Deputy welcomes the project. She is correct that there is a complex road system in that area — which I know very well — in the context of the delivery of the system and deciding exactly which areas it would go through. This is the reason the feasibility study is needed. If this study comes out the right way and approves the project as being a valuable addition to public transport, then we will move to do it.

The Deputy will know that most of the Luas projects are now being co-funded with substantial investment from the private sector to cover the development costs. This will also apply if this project meets the feasibility study criteria and meets the financial criteria when it comes to route selection. I would be very optimistic that this project, if it meets all the criteria, will form part of the roll-out of Transport 21. It will not be in the first phase of Transport 21 but would come into play more towards the end of the programme. It will take some time to do all the work on it.

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