As Members know, the metro has many advantages. It can reduce travel times and congestion, improve the reliability, availability and quality of public transport and make public transport more attractive to car users. It also has the potential to improve the quality of life for the people of Dublin and for those visiting whether on business or for tourism. In 2001 the Government decided that, given the costs involved, the metro network should be phased and a call for expressions of interest were sent out. There were 22 companies anxious to build the metro. Late last year, the RPA submitted an outline business case for a number of routing options with different costs. However, given the changed economic environment, even the cheapest option was considered too costly. The RPA was asked for a more affordable option, taking account of the experience in Madrid.