Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)

Would the Minister of State agree that the investment in the Kildare, Maynooth, Dunboyne and the DART lines is restricted in its return because the lines are not connected? The DART underground will deliver 75 million additional passenger journeys and will open up a wider footprint into the surrounding counties outside of Dublin. Does the Minister of State not agree that the greater Dublin area will drive recovery and such integration is essential if we are to reduce the congestion in the city centre? It will open the job market to more people because the transport system will be networked. Before any additional lines are added, however, it would make sense to integrate current services. I was a member of the DTI consultative panel in the early 1990s, before the boom, and this initiative was seen as essential. It has been postponed every time there is a pinch point because it is not an obvious project like the Luas. It is, however, fundamental to the delivery of an integrated system, one of the first terms used by the Minister of State in his reply.

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