Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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58. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the progress being made on the metro north project; and the amount of funding that has been allocated to progress the project since the publication of the capital investment plan for 2016 to 2021. [22127/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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As I outlined to the Deputy in my reply to question number 1178 of 21^stMarch 2017, funding of over €700 million has been allocated under the Government's Capital Planfor 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. The Programme for Partnership Government commits to proceeding with the New Metro North project.

The decision to proceed with new Metro North followed consideration of the Fingal/North Dublin Transport Study and the National Transport Authority's (NTA) 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 and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) have commenced preparatory work on the planning and design of new Metro North and a dedicated project Steering Group has been established which is meeting on a regular basis. The NTA, in collaboration with 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.