Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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1178. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the amount of funding that has been allocated to progress the metro north project since the publication of the capital plan. [12957/17]

Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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1221. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the progress of a project (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13630/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1178, 1197 and 1221 together.

Funding of over €700 million has been allocated under the Government's Capital Plan2016-2021 for planning, design and construction of new Metro North.  Funding in the initial years of the Capital Plan is for planning and design work with construction expected to commence in 2021 with a view to delivering the project by 2026/2027.  ​It is estimated that the project will cost in the region of €2.4 billion (excluding VAT).  The Programme for Partnership Government commits to proceeding with the New Metro North project.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for the development of public transport infrastructure in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA), including the new Metro North project.

The decision to proceed with new Metro North followed consideration of the Fingal/North Dublin Transport Study and the NTA's recommendations on the study, which identified the light-rail link as the optimum long term public transport solution on the Swords/airport/city centre corridor. It is expected that the service will offer capacity for 9,900 passengers per hour per direction with the potential to expand services in the future if demand requires.

The NTA, in collaboration with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), is undertaking an option analysis and selection study of possible metro alignments and station locations.  Arising from this work a final route and station configuration will be established.  It is my understanding that the NTA and TII anticipate that this process will be complete by the end of 2017, after which a public consultation process will be undertaken in 2018.