Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

I thank both Deputies for raising this matter. They are right that it is an important one which would benefit from everybody taking a step back to allow a bit of space. I appreciate the manner in which it has been raised by both Deputies and the way they have addressed it in the House. As they said, this is one of the flagship projects of Transport 21. It is extremely important for the northside of the city and much further afield. It will carry an estimated 34 million passengers per year when it is operating. Trains will operate every five minutes and the estimated journey time from the city centre to Dublin Airport will be 17 minutes.

The RPA has been mandated by the Government to procure and implement the project. As the Deputies rightly acknowledge, there was extensive public consultation to determine the route for metro north which commenced in February 2006. There were a number of open days that provided opportunities for public engagement. The consultation process continued right up to the end of June 2006. Following the consultation process, the RPA board then decided on the preferred route. I understand that a number of indicative routes were shown, the consultation took place and it chose a particular route. That is normal in such situations.

I will not bore the Deputies with the obvious benefits because they have both acknowledged them. I wish to mention a number of stops. The proposed Drumcondra metro stop will be located to the rear of St. Vincent's Centre for the Deaf at Drumcondra Road. Other options examined would have had significant negative impacts. In particular, they would have required road closures for up to three years. I understand that between the Drumcondra and Griffith Avenue stops an emergency access and ventilation shaft easily accessible to emergency services is required. The south west corner of the St. Patrick's College playing fields has been identified as a suitable location. The location of the shaft influences the route onward to the Griffith Avenue stop.

Work is under way on the preparation of an environmental impact statement and the documentation required to support an application to An Bord Pleanála for a railway order, which is the legal permission needed to build and operate the metro north. The authority to make a final decision on the alignment of metro north rests with An Bord Pleanála through the railway order process. The terms of that statutory planning process allow considerable opportunity for the public to comment on and object to the detailed plan for the project.

I have met the RPA and I assure the Deputies that I have asked it to engage extensively with the residents in the area in exploring mechanisms. I do not doubt what the Deputies said about the cancellation of a meeting last week. I was informed that a particular individual whose name was given as a contact for the residents' organisation could not be contacted by the RPA despite several efforts over the past week or ten days. There is clearly a problem of communication.

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