Transport committee hears plan for a Metro ‘joined-up’ with a circle line
Civil engineer Cormac Rabbitt of the Dublin Metro Group said the Government should franchise out a metro project for Private Public Partnership (PPP) as soon as possible.
He also told the Joint Transport Committee that a group of three should be established to drive construction forward.
Mr Rabbitt said a technical expert, a bureaucrat and a civil servant - advised and monitored by the Rail Procurement Agency (RPA) - would get things done far quicker than a larger number of consultants.
“The operation of a metro needs to be procured and done by people who are going to run it as a PPP,” he said.
Mr Rabbitt added that lessons could be learned from the construction of Madrid’s new underground lines, which was supervised by a team of six people - and cost a fraction of the proposed price of Dublin’s Metro.
“Those who visited Madrid’s new metro lines know it is one of the best in the world,” he said.
Mr Rabbitt proposed the Dargan project, which includes a circle line linking the city’s main transport hubs - including its over ground railway stations - with connections to the airport and a cross-centre line.
“It will give Dublin a world-class transport system,” he said.
“With Transport 21, you won’t have a world-class system including a couple of lines across the city.
“You won’t get integrated transport for people to plan their journeys, like they do in cities such as Prague,” he added.
According to Mr Rabbitt, 52% of the proposed route already exists, while 80% of the new lines would go under public land, saving time and money on settling disputes with private owners.
Independent Senator David Norris welcomed the proposal. “This represents joined-up thinking and a joined-up transport system,” he said.
Chairman John Ellis said the RPA should be brought before the transport committee in the New Year to discuss the proposals.
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