Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 43: To ask the Minister for Transport the status of the planning and tendering processes for metro north; the amount of public and private funding which will be spent on metro north in 2009 and in each year to 2015 and from 2015 to 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13682/09]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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Good progress continues to be made on the Metro North Project. The first round of tenders for the Public Private Partnership contract were submitted to the Railway Procurement (RPA) on 27th February 2009. These tenders are now being evaluated by the RPA. The Oral Hearing before An Bórd Pleanála on the railway order application for Metro North commenced yesterday and the Board has indicated its anticipated decision to be before 4th September this year. In these circumstances, it is most unlikely that the enabling works which the RPA had planned to undertake (subject to securing an enforceable railway order) will commence in the current year. However, both the RPA and my Department will keep the matter under review including any necessary adjustments in the Exchequer allocation of €60m for the project in the current year.

It is not anticipated that any private funding will be spent on the project this year and the Exchequer allocation for Metro North for future years will be decided in the context of the Estimates exercise for each year. Funds raised for the project under Section 49 levy schemes, amounting to approximately €33m to date, cannot be spent unless and until the RPA has secured an enforceable railway order. As I have stated previously, I am not in a position, given its commerciality sensitivity, to give any information in relation to the cost of Metro North in advance of the completion of the PPP process. In accordance with the requirements of the Government decision on Transport 21, Metro North will be submitted to Government for a final decision on the project on the completion of the PPP tender process.