IN spite of a Seanad defeat for the Government on the Light Rail Bill, the legislation has cleared the Upper House and will go through its final stages in the Dail today.
During yesterday's debate in the Seanad, the Opposition managed to pass an amendment - tabled by Senators David Norris, Donie Cassidy, Paschal Mooney and G.V. Wright - which sought to have alternative routes fully costed and analysed.
However, the Government managed to overturn it at Report Stage because of the absence of two PD senators.
Fianna Fail's spokesman on transport, Mr Seamus Brennan, said the Bill was "being steamrolled through the Seanad as it was in the Dail".
The Government allowed no Second Stage Dail debate on the Bill and the legislation made no provision for consulting local groups.
It did not provide for any integration with the DART or mainline trains and had not shown the costing or alternatives for servicing Dublin Airport, Ballymun or Sandyford, he added.
The Government had suffered a humiliating defeat on the legislation and had been forced to produce a fresh Bill in the Dail.