Transport 21-Speeches-Speech by Mr Martin Cullen, TD, Minister for Transport Announcement of the route options and public consultation for Metro West

Date: 22 November 2006

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you for joining with us today as we commence this important stage of the Metro West project, which is part of the Government's investment programme for transport - Transport 21. I want to welcome my colleagues in Government who represent the areas of Dublin West; Mid West; South West and North West - Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney; our Ministers of State, Brian Lenihan, Conor Lenihan and Noel Ahern, and Deputies John Curran and Pat Carey.

On 1st November last year we launched Transport 21, an investment programme that will complete the job of giving Ireland a world-class transport infrastructure. Our goal with Transport 21 over the next nine years is to give Ireland an infrastructure, which underpins prosperity and enhances quality of life, with that investment being delivered on time and on budget.

I recently announced the preferred route for the first phase of the Metro network (Metro North) and I am pleased to be here today to launch this further significant step in the development of the Metro system - the public consultation process on Metro West, connecting the Red Luas line at Tallaght with Clondalkin, Blanchardstown and Metro North.

West Dublin has seen some of the most intense growth in housing and other development in the last decades. This has resulted in large demand for travel to and from and within the area. Metro West, offering attractive journey times, will provide a high quality public transport alternative to the M50 for the increasing number of people travelling along the orbital corridor between Tallaght and the airport and for those commuting across the M50.

Metro West will be a modern, attractive and highly accessible mass transit system for the commuters of Dublin. It will be similar in concept to urban transit systems in many European cities of similar size to Dublin.

One of the most important aspects of Metro West will be the step change in the level of connectivity, which it will introduce to the transport system. It will make public transport journeys to different parts of the city more straightforward. Metro West has massive network benefits.

It will provide integration connectivity between the existing and future transport links into the city centre. It will link the Tallaght Luas line, the Kildare and Maynooth rail lines, the proposed Lucan Luas, Metro North and many bus routes. Because of this level of integration, it will open up a great number of additional travel possibilities with minimal interchange for the commuters of West Dublin and for people from many regions of the country to the city and airport.

It will have park and ride facilities at key points where the route meets major roads such as the N2, N3 and N4. The exact sites will depend on the outcome of the Railway Procurement Agency consultation process and the preferred route chosen. This will encourage car drivers from beyond its immediate catchment area to transfer to metro removing considerable volumes of car journeys from the road network each year.

It will reduce travel times and congestion, improve the reliability, availability and quality of public transport and make public transport more attractive to car users. Metro also offers a more accessible mode of transport for people with impaired mobility.

Metro West will run every few minutes from early in the morning to late in the evening. The service is likely to commence at a peak frequency of around one tram every four to five minutes and increase as demand builds up.

Construction of Metro West is due to be complete in 2014, subject to the successful obtaining of a Railway Order. It is estimated that the construction of Metro West will take four to five years. The RPA is considering a phased development of the line but this decision will await selection of the full route and consultation with prospective developers who would build the project as a PPP.

Preliminary forecasts suggest that Metro West will carry up to 20 million passengers per year. Up to half of these are forecast to come from cars.

Fewer car journeys will contribute to fewer accidents on the road, improve the air quality in Dublin and contribute to meeting our greenhouse gas emissions targets under the Kyoto Protocol. Metro will improve the quality of life for the people of Dublin and for those visiting the capital on business or as tourists.

The consultation brochure provided to you outlines the two main route options and a few sub-options. In line with best practice, the Railway Procurement Agency will consult widely with people living and working along the proposed routes - public representatives, agencies and local authorities. I encourage the people of Dublin to express their views so as to ensure that they can be taken into account in the future development of the project. I understand that a preferred alignment will be identified in 2007, taking into account the outcome of this stage of the RPA's public consultation.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Chairman, the Board, the Chief Executive and staff of the RPA for their work on and dedication to delivering Transport 21 Luas and Metro projects to date. Great progress has been made to date with both the Cherrywood and Docklands extensions through the statutory inquiry process, the route for Metro North selected and extensions of the Tallaght line trams due to start coming into service next year.

Twelve short months ago, at the launch of our ten-year investment programme, I said that we would deliver a transport system, which connects communities and promotes prosperity. Today, with the announcement of the route options available for Metro West, we have moved determinedly nearer to making that vision a reality.

ENDS