Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

First, the wrong impression is being put entirely on the National Transport Authority, NTA, report on the transport strategy for the greater Dublin area. I will first deal with the issue of emissions. The strategy was published yesterday and it is a statutory requirement to review the strategy it had published in 2016. Under that strategy, greenhouse gases linked to public transport will fall dramatically, contrary to what the Deputy said. The implementation of the full measures will reduce transport emissions in the greater Dublin area by 69%. That will come about because of further investment in DART and Luas, which are already fully electric. This is also as a result of the complete transition away from fossil fuels for buses within 13 years. I would like to do that faster. I am maintaining the pressure on that. Acceleration of investment into walking and cycling infrastructure will also deliver substantial greenhouse gas reductions. The delivery of existing projects under the current strategy, as well as newly proposed projects, will significantly expand the availability of alternative options to private car journeys. Newly proposed plans include a provision of a new rail line to Navan and extending the DART+ programme to deliver electrified rail services to Sallins, Naas, Kilcock, and Wicklow.

The Deputy has made fair points about the northside, the airport and the rail link. I accept her analysis of gridlock and the unacceptable situation for residents and commuters from the northside. However, the NDP provides the funding to commence delivery of the major public transport projects under the greater Dublin area transport strategy, which include BusConnects, DART+ and MetroLink. The Deputy is correct in saying that enormous work has gone into finalising the preliminary design of MetroLink, completing the required environmental impact assessment reports and closing out property referencing issues. That is all critical work to MetroLink. The Deputy outlined some of it herself when speaking about the consultations. The focus right now is getting all three projects, namely, BusConnects, DART+ and MetroLink to the Government for approval under the public spending code. As well as this, the focus at a project level is on getting planning application documentation ready for submission to An Bord Pleanála in early 2022.

This idea that is being spun that somehow, MetroLink has been shelved for ten years is just not the truth. It will be going to planning in early 2022. It has to go through public spending codes and various approvals. I do not think anybody here would expect otherwise. The fact that the national development plan, NDP, is a ten-year envelope and has a ten-year framework is the ultimate guarantor that we will get MetroLink built. That is our determination as a Government. Far from shelving anything, therefore, work is proceeding at pace to get MetroLink going, as well as all of the necessary decisions that have to be taken to get it ready for planning.

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