Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 389: To ask the Minister for Transport if the proposal and feasibility study submitted by the south Sligo rapid transit group for a commuter rail system was considered for funding under his Departments Transport 21 plan; when his Department expects to proceed with their licence application to operate a commuter system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33976/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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No funding provision is contained in Transport 21 for the south Sligo rapid transit project. One of the main influencing factors in deciding on the railway development proposals contained in Transport 21 was the report of the strategic rail review, SRR, carried out on behalf of my Department and published in 2003. The SRR considered the south Sligo rail study in the course of its analysis and concluded that the proposed service did not meet the pre-selection criteria in respect of reasonableness in terms of potential patronage, use of existing networks, population catchment and consistency with national policy such as the national spatial strategy. The SRR did not, therefore, proceed to a more detailed evaluation of the proposal.