Brendan Ryan (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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774. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the measures that have been undertaken by his Department to plan for work on the DART underground tunnel given his recent comments to an Oireachtas committee on tackling congestion in Dublin; if he has requested his Department to apply for any EU funding streams to accelerate work on the DART underground tunnel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23424/16]

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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827. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the details of the preliminary work to be done in the context of large projects such as the DART underground in advance of any preparation for the next capital plan; if the new GDP figures will be used to expand borrowing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23993/16]

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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828. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the details and the outcome of any discussions he has had with Irish Rail regarding the initiation of the process for a new railway order for DART underground; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23996/16]

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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830. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on the estimated cost of the DART underground; if a cost benefit analysis has been done and, if so, have congestion costs been estimated; if model shifts have been calculated in the context of climate obligations; the length of time funds can be borrowed over; the estimated passenger usage if and when fully operational; the other projects it has been benchmarked against; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24022/16]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 774, 827, 828 and 830 together.

The estimated cost of the overall DART expansion programme is €4bn of which the tunnel element, as originally designed, was to cost €3bn.  As the Deputy will be aware, the business case for the DART underground was reviewed in 2015 which included a cost benefit analysis and the National Transport Authority (NTA) recommended that the project be redesigned to provide a lower cost technical solution, whilst retaining the required rail connectivity. The Government accepted the NTA's recommendation and announced in September 2015 that the tunnel element would not proceed as originally designed but would be redesigned.

The revised Business Case for the DART Expansion Programme (including the tunnel element) completed in 2015 is available on the NTA's website at the following link www.nationaltransport.ie/projects-schemes/transport-projects/business-cases.

Funding has been provided under the Capital Plan for redesign and planning for the revised lower cost DART Underground.  All potential sources of funding for the project, including potential EU funding, will be considered if a decision is made at a future date to proceed with a redesigned project.

In addition, the Government agreed to proceed with other elements of the overall DART Expansion Programme which bring significant benefits in themselves, including, in particular, electrification of the Northern line to extend the DART to Balbriggan and other works to increase the frequency of existing services and funding has been provided for this in the Capital Plan. 

The NTA and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) are currently working to progress the pre-planning stage of the DART Expansion Programme.

I have not had any discussions with Iarnród Éireann regarding a new Railway Order for Dart Underground as this would be premature at this stage in the redesign of the project.