Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 251: To ask the Minister for Transport if he will support a matter (details supplied). [46020/08]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The cost of an underground metro system depends on a wide range of variables, including ground conditions, size and spacing of stations, tunnel configuration and the amount of land acquisition. There is also a wide range of variables impacting on the cost of on-street light rail systems, including whether it is on-street or off- street, the scale of utilities diversion and so on. A comparison of the type suggested by the Deputy is, therefore, of little practical value. The most fundamental issue, of course, is the level of passenger capacity required on a particular corridor. However, a report for the World Bank in 2000 did try to generalize this issue and pointed out that underground railways are 4 to 6 times the cost of surface railways.

In relation to the part of the Deputy's question on land ownership in the vicinity of the proposed stations on Metro North, the owners and occupiers of all lands affected are publicly available in the book of reference submitted by the RPA to An Bord Pleanála in September last as part of the Railway Order Application for Metro North. It is not clear from the question to which land in the vicinity of Dublin Port the Deputy is referring, particularly as the alignment of Metro North is some distance from the port area.