Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for raising this Topical Issue matter. Obviously, I have read the media reports this week regarding MetroLink and the NTA's development of a preferred route for public consultation. I can confirm that I met the NTA this week to be updated on the project. Separately, I also met the chair of Transport infrastructure Ireland, TII, recently during which the issue of MetroLink was discussed.

I have said repeatedly in the Dáil that the NTA and TII are developing revised proposals regarding MetroLink. It is obvious that those revised proposals will take account of the issues already raised by members of the public during last year’s public consultation. That should not be a shock to anyone here as it is the reason we have public consultations. I welcome that State agencies under my Department’s remit are very proactive in engaging with members of the public and listening to their views.

Last year’s emerging preferred route gave rise to much public commentary, particularly regarding a number of different local areas across the city. Major transformative projects will always cause impacts, although those impacts are ultimately intended to be positive. We all know, however, that in order to get to that place, there can occasionally be unwelcome and sometimes unpalatable impacts.

There is always a delicate balancing act between delivering an effective project and doing so in a way that minimises disruption. I have made clear that it is very important that members of the public can continue to travel conveniently in Dublin. That is essential, and travel disruption needs to be minimised. That is precisely what the NTA and TII are seeking to do. That are seeking to develop a new cross-city public transport corridor via Dublin Airport and out to Swords and, in doing so, increase capacity on the Luas green line. In trying to achieve that ambition, they are also listening to the views of the public, particularly people living those along the Luas green line, on what level of disruption, if any, is acceptable to deliver the increased capacity the line needs. We need to deliver, once and for all, the long-awaited cross-city link via the airport and out to north County Dublin.

It would be inappropriate for me to comment on particular alignments or proposals while the statutory agencies are still completing their work. As I have stated previously in this House, we need to move away from designing transport projects by press release and instead move towards what members of the public deserve, namely, planned and integrated development of public transport and land use strategies. We have a statutory transport strategy for the greater Dublin area which covers the period from 2016 to 2035. That strategy is the basis for the development of an integrated transport system for the entire greater Dublin area. It includes proposals across all public transport platforms, including metro, light rail and bus. Development of the strategy was subject to a full public consultation period and any and all interested parties were able to make their views known.

The Deputies have specifically about the Rathfarnham-Terenure corridor. I assure them that the needs of the entire city were considered by the NTA in drawing up its transport strategy. That strategy included looking at present and future travel demands on all the key corridors. The extremely detailed analysis conducted concluded that the actual and forecasted demand along the Rathfarnham-Terenure corridor does not meet the threshold that would justify a metro style service. The corridor is relatively low density with limited potential for new development. The present and future transport demand levels on the corridor are such that they can best be met through an improved bus service. That is exactly what BusConnects will seek to provide. MetroLink is a big project, one on which we all have views. I reassure the House that, as Minister, I have two key priorities here, namely, delivering an improved public transport system to serve the needs of the public now and into the future, and making sure that the agencies do this in a way that avoids unacceptable travel disruption. I have told my agencies that it would be unacceptable to have the Luas service closed for a significant period. I have also told them that the suggestion Deputies have read about in the media that there would be closures for four years or something approaching that is absolutely off the agenda. I will not countenance that sort of a delay or anything reflecting a fraction of it on any major piece of infrastructure or artery into any of our cities.

I will encourage everyone to engage again with the NTA and TII when they launch their new public consultation after publishing their preferred route in the coming weeks.

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