Brendan Ryan (Dublin Fingal, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I know discussions have taken place with Transport Infrastructure Ireland since the Minister came to office, and the previous Government had set aside funding for the design of the new metro north. The rigour with which metro north was measured against other possible transport solutions for the Swords airport corridor ensures, without doubt, that metro north is the best long-term transport option. We now need to plough ahead as quickly as possible with this project. There is a ten-year plan and we are already one year into that for the delivery of metro north. It is a more important piece of infrastructure than the second runway, and that is why I always have concerns regarding anything that even has the slightest potential in delaying the project. The new runway will bring more people into Dublin Airport, which means more people will need to leave the airport terminals in an organised and efficient manner. The taxi and bus services that currently operate are not ideal and so it is even more important that metro north is delivered to meet the expected increase in passenger numbers.

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