Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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276. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to advance the Luas Lucan line project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38556/15]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Given the constraints on the public finances, a number of public transport projects, including the extension of the Luas to Lucan, were deferred under the Government's last Capital Plan published in November 2011.  While we are making good strides in restoring the public finances, constraints still exist and it has not been possible to provide funding under the the new Capital Plan (2016-2021) for all of the projects that were deferred.The National Transport Authority (NTA), which has statutory responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA), has recently published a draft Transport Strategy for the GDA covering the period 2016 to 2035. The draft strategy includes a review of the public transport requirements for the Lucan area and the N4 corridor. It envisages the development of an east-west Luas line, commencing in the residential areas of Lucan to the south of the N4 national road, and connecting into Dublin City Centre. Delivery of projects prioritised in the final GDA Strategy will be dependent on the availability of funding, including from non-Exchequer sources.

All stakeholders and the travelling public currently have an opportunity to submit their views on the proposals in the draft strategy, which is now available on the NTA website .