Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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217. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if a feasibility study of Metrolink south west Dublin is included within the Budget for 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53008/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Budget 2023 expenditure allocation for carbon reduction and public transport is €1.53 billion, as announced on 27 September. Officials in my Department and the transport agencies are now working to agree more precise programme and project-level allocations for 2023, and these will be available in the Revised Estimates Volume before the end of the year. Once allocations are set, the exact activities that are expected to be funded in 2023 will be known. However, it is not envisaged that a feasibility study for a metro in the south-west of Dublin will be funded for 2023.

The Deputy may wish to note that the NTA's previous Metro-to-Knocklyon feasibility study concluded that a metro option is unlikely to be a cost-effective approach to enhancing public transport in this area of Dublin. The NTA's draft Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area (GDA) 2022-2042 concludes that this corridor is best served by 'bus rapid transport' such as BusConnects.

While a metro to the south west of Dublin is not proposed before 2042 in the current draft GDA Transport Strategy, the NTA reviews and updates the strategy every 6 years and this proposal may be reconsidered in future.