The Government is to make a final decision next Tuesday on Dublin's Luas light rail project, following "detailed consideration" by a Cabinet sub-committee of the Atkins consultancy study recommending CIE's on-street proposal. It had been expected that the Cabinet would decide the matter yesterday, but most Ministers had only just received copies of the bulky £200,000 report and did not want to leave themselves open to the accusation of rushing into a hasty decision.
A statement issued yesterday afternoon said the Government had decided to defer it for a week "in view of the complexities of the issues involved, the short time which they had to consider the detailed report and the scale of the investment decisions."
W.S. Atkins, a British firm of engineering consultants, estimated that the current on-street scheme was likely to cost £268 million - £41 million more than CIE's figure - whereas a system incorporating an underground in the city centre would cost £500 million.
It also found, contrary to a claim made repeatedly by the former Taoiseach, Dr Garret FitzGerald, that the on-street system would have the capacity to meet passenger demand - though its construction was likely to cause widespread disruption to city centre traffic. Before yesterday's Cabinet meeting, Ministers received a presentation from representatives of the firm on the findings of its study and then had a discussion for about an hour before deciding to refer the matter to a Cabinet sub-committee for "more detailed consideration." The Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, said membership of this committee was open-ended. However, it is expected that Ministers and Tanaiste, Ms Harney, and Mr Robert Molloy, a PD Minister of State, as well as the Government chief whip, Mr Seamus Brennan, and the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey. the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, will be involved.
Ms O'Rourke would not say yesterday what her own recommendation would be, though it is believed she favours going ahead with an on-street Luas.
The week-long deferral is likely to provide a window of opportunity for those who want Luas put underground in the city centre to lobby Ministers, even though the independent study which they had called for comes down in favour of the on-street scheme planned by CIE.
Dublin Chamber of Commerce, which has long been one of the main proponents of an underground system, has sought to downplay this recommendation, describing Luas as a "red herring" and "a side-issue" in the context of Dublin's overall traffic needs.
The Automobile Association, which also favoured the underground option, said it was now inclined to accept the professional advice of W.S. Atkins and support an on-street light rail system - subject to a number of conditions, such as minimising disruption to traffic.
But the Dublin City Centre Business Association was not surprised by the consultants' findings, saying it never believed an underground was viable. The Government should now come to a decision rapidly, draw down the necessary EU funds and "get on with it", it added.
