Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

Will the Minister clarify the position regarding a statement issued earlier today by Irish Rail in respect of DART underground? The statement appears to indicate that the completion date for this project has been put back to 2018. While it is obviously expensive to build an underground connector, it would never be less costly to do so than now. Costs, particularly those relating to steel, have never been lower. Should the planning process relating to such a major infrastructural project not be accelerated? What does the Minister know about this decision? Was he consulted or informed about it?

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