Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 29: To ask the Minister for Transport if he will report on the tendering process for metro north; if he will confirm the two bidders who have been chosen to go forward to the next round of metro north; when the winning tenderer will be selected; the timeframe for the commencement and conclusion of metro north; if he will confirm further that metro north will proceed in its current format; the estimate of 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. [28399/09]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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On 30 June, the Railway Procurement Agency announced that it had short-listed two bidding groups, Celtic Metro Group and Metro Express, to proceed to the final stage of the Metro North PPP procurement process. The formal commencement of this final stage of the procurement process is subject to a decision by An Bord Pleanála on the railway order application for the project.

The oral hearing before An Bord Pleanála on the railway order application commenced on 1st April last and was adjourned on 29th April to allow the Inspector and interested parties the opportunity to review and assimilate further information provided at the hearing by the RPA. On 26th June An Bord Pleanála wrote to the RPA requesting that further detailed information on various aspects of the project be submitted to it by 1st October 2009.

The scope of the Metro North project remains as set out in the railway order application to An Bord Pleanála and its implementation is subject both to the outcome of the statutory planning process and a final decision by the Government following the completion of the statutory planning and procurement processes.

The Exchequer capital amount currently allocated from my Department's Estimate for 2009 in respect of Metro North is €35m. 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 for each year. Private sector funding for the project is a matter to be determined by the PPP procurement process, which is currently underway.

Given the commercial sensitivity surrounding the ongoing PPP procurement process, I am not in a position to give any information in relation to the cost of Metro North.