Iarnród Éireann failed to tell Minister of Dart delay at meeting

IARNRÓD ÉIREANN failed to tell Minister for Transport Noel Dempseyabout a major delay in completing the Dart underground when he met them hours before the company made the announcement.

Mr Dempsey told the Dáil that he heard about the decision at lunchtime yesterday. “I was with the board of CIÉ this morning but the matter was not mentioned,” he said. But he added, “as far as the Government is concerned, there has been no postponement”. He said the two “priority public transport projects are the Dart interconnector and Metro North”.

Iarnród Éireann blamed planning delays for the postponement of the €2 billion project until 2018. The 7.6km Dublin underground rail link or interconnector will join the docklands with Heuston Station and Inchicore through underground stations.

Mr Dempsey told Fine Gael transport spokesman Fergus O'Dowdduring Dáil question time that the delay "was not mentioned to me even though a presentation was made regarding the Dart interconnector at this morning's meeting". He said: "I don't know how the statement could be made in relation to planning because – again, if I'm wrong I'll stand corrected in relation to this – but I understand that the statement that was made that because of delays in the planning process that it was likely to go out to that time.

“But I don’t know how anybody could make a statement like that – because nobody knows how long it’s going to be in the planning process.”

Mr O’Dowd had said costs, particularly relating to steel, had never been lower. “While it is obviously expensive to build an underground connector, it would never be less costly to do so than now,” he said. “Should the planning process relating to such a major infrastructural project not be accelerated?”

The Minister said, “I am unaware of any change the company has proposed on this matter.” He was aware of the statement “and I will seek clarification”.

Mr O’Dowd said it was “amazing” that the company would not tell the Minister of the delay in such an important project, and he described it as a “snub”.