Written answers

Wednesday, 25 March 2009

Department of Transport

Park and Ride Facilities

9:00 pm

Photo of Ciarán CuffeCiarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 125: To ask the Minister for Transport the amount of funding available from his Department to fund park and ride projects in the greater Dublin area and elsewhere; the organisational arrangements surrounding same; the public transport providers involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12292/09]

Photo of Noel DempseyNoel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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Under Transport 21, funding is available for the development of park and ride facilities by Iarnród Éireann, by the RPA, and by Local Authorities in the GDA and the regional cities, either as stand-alone projects or as part of larger rail based investments.

Iarnród Éireann has begun a network-wide programme of expanding or developing new car parks, with the assistance of Exchequer funding.

Under Transport 21 car parks have opened/been extended at eight train stations, namely Leixlip Louisa Bridge, Mallow, Ennis, Tullamore, Arklow, Limerick, Hazelhatch and Gormanston, resulting in over 1,350 extra car parking spaces. New car parks are also due to open over the next eighteen months at Portmarnock, Newbridge, Rush and Lusk, Donabate, Laytown, Portarlington, Carlow, Wicklow, Gorey and Limerick Junction over the next year. To date Exchequer funding of €21 million has been allocated for the car park extension programme.

The Park and Ride sites associated with the proposed Luas and Metro lines in Transport 21 are determined by the RPA when individual Railway Order applications are submitted for the various lines. No specific figures are available for Luas sites as Park and Ride site costs are included in overall project budgets.

Funding is also available for bus-based Park and Ride facilities provided by local authorities. My Department expects to receive proposals for the development of Park and Ride from local authorities in the Greater Dublin Area in the coming weeks.

In the context of the current fiscal situation, my Department has been informed by the Department of Finance that no contractual commitment of any kind can now be entered into without Department of Finance approval. Sanction for funding for Park and Ride facilities will be considered in the context of any funding approval from the Department of Finance and the Exchequer allocation available to my Department, in these difficult economic circumstances, following the supplementary Budget in April 2009.

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