Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 111: To ask the Minister for Transport the expenditure on the Belfast to Cork rail line of the €39.64 million funding designated to his Department by the EU's Ten-T transport agency in the period 2002 to date in 2009; if the figures will be broken down into two categories Dublin to Cork and Dublin to Belfast; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42434/09]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The DART Underground project is part of Ten-T Priority Project 26 (Railway/road axis Ireland/United Kingdom/continental Europe). This project will connect the northern (Belfast) and southern (Cork) rail lines, although only electric powered (DART) trains may use the tunnel.

The planning and design phase of this project is being part funded by the Ten-T Executive Agency of the European Commission. The agency is providing funding of €10 million for the project which is 50% of the €20 million for the studies and preparation phase of the project. This funding covers the design and development process, geotechnical investigations and various surveys and studies that include topographical surveys, condition surveys, archaeological surveys and utility surveys. Whilst approval was also given for studies to be undertaken on the removal of speed restrictions on the Dublin-Cork-Belfast corridor, these studies were carried out internally by Iarnród Éireann and no Ten-T funding was utilised by the company.