Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

Go raibh maith agat. I thank Senator Tuffy for giving me the opportunity to outline the current position on the Kildare route project.

This major railway investment is critical to the development of a high quality suburban rail system for the greater Dublin area and will deliver benefits for all users of the line including, inner and outer commuter services to Dublin. It will also enhance intercity services to Cork, Limerick, Kilkenny and Waterford.

The project will facilitate dedicated tracks for intercity services and separate tracks for commuter services thereby enhancing capacity, frequency and reliability on all services using the route in and out of Heuston Station. New stations on the route will also open access to commuter services for more communities, providing a real alternative to the use of the private car within the catchment area. The project will deliver the capacity to meet projected peak hour increases from 2,000 passengers in 2005 to 5,300 passengers per hour in 2009. In the longer term, the project is a vital step in linking the Kildare route with the planned interconnector through the city centre and incorporating services into an expanded DART network, integrated with Luas, Metro and bus services.

On 13 August last, the Minister announced his decision to grant the railway order for the Kildare rail project in line with the recommendations of the inspector to the public inquiry into the project. On that basis, the draft order has been sent to the Office of the Attorney General for legal drafting. I understand every effort is being made to expedite this. When that process is complete, the order will be submitted to the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government seeking his consent for the provisions of the order affecting roads and will be signed by the Minister immediately afterwards.

The railway order will allow Iarnród Éireann to proceed with the land acquisition and construction of new tracks and stations along the route between Hazelhatch and Heuston Station. Iarnród Éireann has in the meantime commenced enabling works and is proceeding with detailed design and procurement with a view to completion of the project in 2009.