Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Question 116: To ask the Minister for Transport when he will publish the full costings and business case for Metro North; the way a decision on the design of the route can be arrived at or justified without a full costing being undertaken of each alternative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6538/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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It is proposed that Metro North will be procured as a public private partnership (PPP) with the cost of the construction and maintenance borne by the private consortium selected through a tendering process. The PPP consortium will be paid through annual Exchequer payments over a period of approximately 26 years, which will start after commencement of services. The level of payment will be dependent on the consortium meeting service delivery standards set out in the PPP contract.

I have continually stated that I am not in a position to release details of the costs for Metro North in advance of the public procurement process. These details remain commercially sensitive in order to protect public funds and achieve best value for money; revealing the amount that the State is willing to pay for a service may give tenderers an opportunity to increase their asking price above what they might otherwise seek.

The Railway Procurement Agency is the body responsible for developing the design of the metro. All of the route options identified by the RPA were evaluated by it against criteria which included cost and a range of other factors such as feasibility, likely patronage, environmental impact, integration, land use, safety, efficiency and journey time.

The RPA will in due course submit an application for a Railway Order to An Bord Pleanála and it will then be a matter for An Bord Pleanála to come to consider and decide on that application.