Brennan plays down LUAS criticism
Mr Brennan said that the Rail Procurement Agency (RPA) had told him that the project will be completed for the budgeted €765 million and both lines will be operational from August next year.
Since the project was first mooted in the mid-1990s it has been dogged with controversy over delays, costs, and questions over the appropriateness of a tram system as the solution for Dublin’s public transport needs.
In an interview with the Irish Examiner yesterday, the Minister said Dublin needed a metro system with underground trains in the city centre and that the LUAS system would eventually be absorbed into the network. His reasoning for the tram system being subsumed into the metro was because he did not want a “patchwork quilt” of urban transit systems in Dublin.
Mr Brennan will seek Cabinet approval in the next month for the first phase of the multi-billion euro Metro project, which will link the airport to the city centre. The project could cost between €2 billion and €3.4 billion.
The opposition yesterday described the LUAS project as a “farce” following reports that the contractors were demanding up to 50 million extra to complete the programme.
Fine Gael transport spokesman Denis Naughten called for a major overhaul of the way transport projects are paid for. He said the current final cost of €765 million made LUAS the most expensive infrastructure project in the history of the state. “The taxpayer should not have to foot the bill for major transport projects because of someone else’s incompetence.”
Labour Party spokesperson Róisín Shortall said that the LUAS project was “rapidly descending into farce amid an unseemly row between the RPA and the Government.” She called on the minister to do more than talk tough, take political responsibility for the project and ensure that LUAS is delivered on time and within budget.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
