Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this issue and the Minister for his attendance.

Obviously, this issue concerning the delivery of metro north to Dublin Airport and the capital of Fingal, Swords, is very close to my heart. It is of the utmost importance that the Government continue to prioritise that which the previous Government recommenced following our economic difficulties. The people of Dublin and especially my constituents in Dublin Fingal have been waiting a very long time for the delivery of this critical infrastructure.

Dublin is the only capital city in Europe without a rail link to the primary national airport. The precursor to this was not the metro north project of the mid-1990s but the rail link proposed by An Foras Forbartha in 1972; therefore, it has been 44 years in the waiting. It is very important that the new Government restate its intentions to deliver this project. Notwithstanding Brexit and the available fiscal space available to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, we should perhaps even consider fast-tracking it in some way.

I am pleased that the new metro north service, as approved thus far, will have a journey time of approximately 31 minutes. Residents in Malahide who are 9.9 miles from the city centre as opposed to 9 miles for residents in Swords can travel that distance in approximately 26 minutes on the railway. Therefore, for the metro service which will serve more stations and facilitate more people in travelling to and from Dublin Airport and between Swords and the city centre, a journey time of 31 minutes will be acceptable to all. I had set my own personal target of 35 minutes, which, I am delighted to say, Transport Infrastructure Ireland has beaten by four minutes.

The 2011 census identified Fingal as having population growth four times higher than that in Dublin city. In the past two censuses Fingal was recognised as the fastest growing youngest environment not just in the Republic of Ireland but in Europe. Without the timely provision of the metro and the connection to Swords, an emerging city, the airport and the roads would be even more congested. Figures previously presented by TII suggested approximately 40 additional multi-storey car parks would be required in Dublin city centre alone to accommodate the growth in Dublin in the next ten to 20 years - I believe up to 2035.

I am glad that the new metro north service will have the potential to meet all of the capacity needs of Swords and Dublin Airport into the future. As the Minister, knows the Dublin Airport Authority is moving towards the delivery of a second runway and growth has now exceeded 25 million passengers on its single runway. One can imagine with the development in Swords and the airport's second runway, if it proceeds on time, that we will see an increased requirement for capacity in getting people to and from Dublin Airport. Some 65% of Dublin Airport users get there by bus and given the growth in demographics in Dublin, we need to ensure the users of Dublin Airport are given alternatives to road-based transport.

I was very pleased to have been with the previous Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, now the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, when he made the announcement at Heuston Station. I hope the Minister, Deputy Shane Ross, will continue to engage with representatives from Dublin Fingal and the other constituencies along the proposed route in order to ensure the timely provision of this service.

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