Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 161: To ask the Minister for Transport if his Department remains committed to the development of a Luas line from Shanganagh-Swords via Finglas, Blanchardstown and Clondalkin to Tallaght and a second Luas line from Citywest to the city centre via Tallaght and Kimmage as set out in both the national development plan and the DTO's Platform for Change; if so, when work will commence on these lines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32249/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I announced a new transport investment programme, Transport 21, on Tuesday, 1 November last. This ambitious programme underlines the Government's commitment to develop a world-class transport system for the 21st century. The Minister for Finance and I engaged extensively on the preparation of this landmark framework which involves the investment of over €34 billion in current prices in the ten year period 2006 to 2015.

Included in this programme is a commitment to seven new Luas projects and two new metro services: metro north from St. Stephen's Green to Swords serving places such as DCU, Ballymun and Dublin Airport; metro west, which is an orbital line serving places such as Clondalkin, Liffey Valley and Blanchardstown, will link with the Tallaght Luas line and metro north and will be built on a phased basis starting from the Tallaght end in 2010 and with a completion date of 2014; a new Luas line from Lucan to the city; the Tallaght Luas line will be extended to the Docklands; a spur will be provided off the Tallaght line to serve Citywest; Sandyford Luas line extension to Cherrywood; the Sandyford Luas line extension to Bray; the two Luas lines will be joined; this new cross-city link will subsequently be extended northwards to serve Broadstone and the new Dublin Institute of Technology campus at Grangegorman.

The Dublin Transportation Office's A Platform for Change continues to provide strategic framework for the development of the greater Dublin area's transport system. In that context feasibility studies and planning work will also be undertaken over the period of Transport 21 on other projects not included in this programme, but contained in A Platform for Change. However, funding to bring them to construction is not included in the ten-year envelope.