Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 496: To ask the Minister for Transport the amount, in so far as projections are available, anticipated to be spent in 2010 on all light rail projects including Metro; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10830/09]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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Construction is currently underway on the Luas extensions to Cherrywood, Docklands and Citywest. The Docklands extension will open for services in 2010, with the extensions to Cherrywood and Citywest opening in 2011. The Oral Hearing before An Bord Pleanála on the railway order application for Metro North commences on 1 April 2009. The Railway Procurement Agency is targeting lodging a railway order application for the Luas line from St. Stephen's Green to Cabra and Metro West later this year. Planning work is continuing on the Luas lines to Lucan and Bray.

The spend on Luas/Metro projects in 2010 will be contingent on physical progress in the coming months on those Luas lines under construction, the outcomes of applications for railway orders, progress in planning and the overall allocation available to my Department in these difficult economic circumstances. The allocation available to my Department for 2010 will be decided in the context of the estimates for 2010 later this year.