Airport metro - Cullen claims invite public scepticism

FIFTEEN stops in seventeen minutes between Stephen’s Green and Dublin Airport?

The imagination boggled at Transport Minister Martin Cullen’s supreme confidence yesterday as he unveiled the route of Dublin’s proposed metro system. However, the long suffering travelling public is unlikely to share his confidence in this ambitious timetable.

Passengers, embarking and disembarking, will need split-second timing on the 17-kilometres route between the city centre and the airport, embracing a generous slice of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s northside constituency on the way.

Obviously, most users of the metro will be from the capital but a big number will also come from the four corners of Ireland. As taxpayers, they all have a right to know the rationale behind the proposed system, particularly in terms of value for money.

Astonishingly, Mr Cullen is refusing to publish the cost-benefit analysis on which the scheme is based though he assures us such an analysis was carried out. To justify this blatant lack of transparency, he cites commercial reasons for not revealing the findings.

Arguably, he may be confusing distinctly separate aspects of the project. There is a world of difference between scrutinising a venture of this magnitude from the perspective of an economic cost-benefit analysis as opposed to a financial appraisal of the scheme.

Indeed, any minister would be justified in not disclosing the results of such a financial appraisal as it would give highly sensitive commercial information to companies tendering for contracts.

But the financial exercise is not the same as an economic cost-benefit analysis designed to put the scheme under the microscope.

According to transport expert Professor Austin Smyth, the minister’s fears about disclosing commercial details are not well founded. Having worked in Dublin he is attuned to the ramifications of the metro scheme but is at a loss to understand why the relevant information is being withheld. Dr Smyth points out that in other European countries it would be standard practice to publish this kind of economic analysis.

With the Government spending unprecedented sums of money on Transport 21 — its plan for the country’s future road and rail network — public confidence is crucial, especially since costs have run amok in several major projects.

Widely regarded as the least effective member of government, Mr Cullen’s ministerial career has been dogged by controversy, largely due to his penchant for not heeding criticism or warnings of problems ahead.

In his reign as environment minister, the Government was forced to climb down after the shambles of electronic voting. Taxpayers are now forking out nearly €1 million a year to house some €50m worth of seemingly redundant computers in warehouses around the country.

Originally criticised for lacking a paper audit, new evidence suggests the e-voting can actually be rigged. Yet the coalition intends using the suspect machines in future local elections.

Despite wide criticism, Mr Cullen also got rid of Dúchas, the heritage service, reintegrating it within his department. Amid allegations of cronyism, his political reputation was also damaged by the appointment of Waterford-based Monica Leech as advisor.

Thus far, he has failed to sort out Dublin’s ticketing mess so people could use one ticket for bus and train travel around the capital.

Nor does Mr Cullen’s handling of the Aer Lingus flotation inspire confidence. Having ignored warnings that its approach would draw a hostile take-over bid, the Government is now desperately back-peddling in a bid to shore up keep remains of the national airline out of Ryanair’s clutches.

Not surprisingly, his stewardship of the metro scheme will be closely scrutinised.