Metro project should be shunted into a siding

IN his letter (May 26), Jason Fitzharris assures us that “Metro North has the support of all mainstream political parties.”

This highlights the lack of strategic thinking that has got this country into the current mess.

Orchestrating expensive transport systems that will cause chaos in the capital in the middle of a recession is not wise, to put it mildly. Firstly, we do not have the money and even if we borrow it, there are areas of expenditure which will give a far better return.

Secondly, the massive engineering works necessary to build the metro will cause major disruption to the commercial and economic life of a large area of Dublin.

This will add billions more to the estimated e5 billion cost.

Thirdly, a more extensive and comprehensive quality bus corridor system and some more buses would be a more intelligent and much less costly option in our current straitened circumstances.

Fourthly, not having to allocate vast sums of money to Metro North would allow money to be reallocated, for example, adequately to fund the education needs of the people who will keep this country in the forefront of the competitiveness league into the future. This seems to me to be a no-brainer.

Yet we have, as Mr Fitzharris assures us, mainstream political parties, including prominent government ministers, supporting the metro project.

At the same time these politicians are also arguing that we cut expenditure on education. It seems to me they have learned nothing from the major mistakes that have got us into such an economic mess.

Anthony Leavy

Shielmartin Drive

Sutton

Dublin 13