Is the interconnector too expensive to be approved?

Zaph0d

I know that Platform 11 has done a great job pushing Irish Rail's underground rail link but is it likely to be approved? My feeling is that 1.3billion is too much money for Bertie and co to sign off on in one go. It's already nearly twice the cost of the 2 Luas lines and once the EIS is done and the contract put out to tender, it could end up costing far more.

Is there any precedent for a public project that has cost so much in Ireland? After all, even Bertie couldn't get approval for his very personal, billion euro, car-dependent, stadium-in-the-sticks project.

From Callely and Cullen's recent statements I guess they are going to approve a 100m Luas line link-up and a few more bus corridors before the next election and then talk this up as transport integration.

Nearly every individual involved in deciding on the merits or demerits of this project (DTO, Dept of Finance, TDs, Dept of Transport) has a tax free city centre parking space for life.

I don't see how 1.3billion could be added to an Irish transport budget when health and education are clamouring for the same money. Am I wrong?

John R

No, you are not wrong, I don't think any major public transport project has a hope in hell of getting funded by this government.

And the luas link-up has the potential to be very damaging to the operation of much of the bus network both in the construction phase and when complete.

Metrobest

Zaph0d wrote:

I know that Platform 11 has done a great job pushing Irish Rail's underground rail link but is it likely to be approved? My feeling is that 1.3billion is too much money for Bertie and co to sign off on in one go. It's already nearly twice the cost of the 2 Luas lines and once the EIS is done and the contract put out to tender, it could end up costing far more.

Is there any precedent for a public project that has cost so much in Ireland? After all, even Bertie couldn't get approval for his very personal, billion euro, car-dependent, stadium-in-the-sticks project.

From Callely and Cullen's recent statements I guess they are going to approve a 100m Luas line link-up and a few more bus corridors before the next election and then talk this up as transport integration.

Nearly every individual involved in deciding on the merits or demerits of this project (DTO, Dept of Finance, TDs, Dept of Transport) has a tax free city centre parking space for life.

I don't see how 1.3billion could be added to an Irish transport budget when health and education are clamouring for the same money. Am I wrong?

You're wrong. If the government were to follow that form of logic, everything would be spent on health and education and nothing on transport or the arts because these weren't "as important."

sliabh

With a year and a half to two years to go in this goverment they are not going to announce any new major transport programs. The Department of Transport is already spending billions on new infrastructure programs (admitedly mostly roads) and they have declared education and health to be priority areas for the remainder of the goverment's term.

From a personal political standpoint the minister won't go looking for money that he knows he can't get so he will settle for the achievable goal of the €100m luas link up, and possibly the Green line Luas extension to Cherrywood. Then he can show he made a difference come the election and defend his position at the cabinet table.

I am guessing that the government will also be holding off on any new major infrastructure projects until the fast track project approval legislation is back on the agenda. And that certainly will not happen in the lifetime of this government.

So don't expect any progress on Dublin rail projects until 2006 at least.