The Progressive Democrats have criticised the by-passing of two of the capital's main train stations in a revised plan for a metro from the city centre to Dublin Airport.
The plan - drawn up by the Rail Procurement Agency (RPA) after consultation with Spanish expert Prof Manuel Melis Maynar - proposes several measures to cut €700 million off the original €2.2 billion construction costing for the project. They include 24-hour tunnelling and cheaper station designs.
|
But PD transport spokesman Mr Tom Morrissey said the plan to by-pass Connolly Station and Pearse DART station is not "viable".
"The wisdom of by-passing key city centre rail stations must be questioned. A cut-price metro that is not fully integrated with the rest of the city's transport network is not a viable alternative," Mr Morrissey said.
The plan, which was leaked to the Irish Independent, proposes a more direct route than previously envisaged, with O'Connell Street as the final destination. An underground escalator link between a station at D'Olier Street and Tara Street station is also proposed.
The original metro proposal was considered too expensive when costed at €4.7 billion, including other expenses such as planning and land costs. But the RPA submitted a revised proposal last week that cut €1.3 billion in total off the cost through a number of measures, including a change to planning laws.
After Prof Melis Maynar briefed the Cabinet infrastructure group last week, the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, said the metro plan was back on the agenda. Prof Melis Maynar was in charge of the construction of the Madrid metro, which produced 56 kilometres of line for €1.45 billion.
Mr Morrissey today said if the Spanish model is to be followed then a "formal partnership between Dublin and Madrid would allow us to avail of their huge expertise and to bring our project in on time, within an affordable budget and fully integrated.
"I believe that Minister Brennan should now set about putting such an arrangement in place as soon as possible. It is vital that we learn from best European practice when it comes to the management of major infrastructure projects: a formal co-operation with Madrid would allow us to do just that".
The revised plan could come before the Cabinet tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Fine Gael has proposed re-opening an underground rail line in the Phoenix Park in a plan the party says would also solve the problem of linking Connolly Station to Dublin Airport.
The party's transport spokesman Mr Denis Naughten said plan's put forward by Fine Gael and the Platform 11 pressure group would provide a "cheap and effective solution."
"The Phoenix Park line could be re-opened at a cost of €75 million, which is €925 million less than proposals by the Transport Minister, Seamus Brennan, to build a new dedicated underground line between Heuston and Connolly Stations," he said in a statement.