Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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1008. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the status of the DART expansion to Hazelhatch and the LUAS to Lucan plans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45873/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for the development of public transport infrastructure in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA).  

The NTA's Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area 2016-2035 provides a framework for the planning and delivery of transport infrastructure in the GDA over the next two decades. The strategy proposes implementation of the DART Expansion Programme involving electrification of the Northern line as far as Drogheda, the Kildare Line to Hazelhatch, the Sligo line to Maynooth in the west and to the M3 Parkway and construction of the redesigned DART Underground Tunnel. The strategy also includes a number of proposals to further develop the light rail network in the GDA over the lifetime of the strategy. This includes the development of an east-west Luas line from Lucan to Dublin city centre.

Building on the Government’s budgetary framework set out in Building on Recovery: Infrastructure and Capital Investment 2016-2021 published in September 2015, the Government's recently announced Budget 2018 provides for an increase in the multi-annual capital investment for public transport with a four-year capital envelope of €2.7 billion for 2018-2021. This includes funding for design and planning of DART services to Hazelhatch, work on the redesign of the tunnel and to enable acceleration of the initial stages of the DART Expansion programme, focussing on additional fleet and progress on electrification to Balbriggan and Maynooth. The capital envelope also provides funding to deliver additional light rail capacity on the existing Luas network with additional trams and longer trams. 

The existing capital envelope for public transport for 2018-2021 does not include funding to complete electrification of the DART to Hazelhatch or for the development of a Luas line to Lucan. Further phases of the DART Expansion Programme and the light rail expansion projects included in the NTA transport strategy will be considered in the context of future investment plans, including the forthcoming 10 year Capital Plan.