Varadkar: Up to €200m already spent on postponed projects

More than €200m has already been spent on transport projects being put on ice, most of it on Metro North and the Dart Underground.

The Government has called a halt to work on Metro North, Metro West, DART Underground, the Navan Rail line, the Thornton Hall prison and the Monaghan to Derry road through Northern Ireland.

Compensation of €2m will also have to be paid to the proposed Metro operators, but Transport Minister Leo Varadkar hopes it is not wasted money.

Mr Varadkar said: "The biggest parts of that obviously are Metro North which has cost €150m to date, and DART Underground which has cost €38m to date.

"I think it's important to say that that money has not entirely been wasted, these projects are not being cancelled, they are being deferred.

"In some cases, property has been purchased along the way and there is a rental income from some of those properties.

"In many cases the priority works that have been done won't have to be repeated, but in some cases they will."