Lowry renews support for LRT system

THE Minister for Transport, Mr Lowry, has reaffirmed his support for the proposed £200 million light rail transit (LRT) system for Dublin. He said the policy in relation to building it was "quite clear". Last month, during a Seanad debate on transport priorities, Mr Lowry appeared to deviate from the Government's approval for LRT by promising to re examine the long abandoned alternative of going underground in the city centre.

But in a written Dail reply to Mr Seamus Brennan, the Fianna Fail spokesman on transport, he said the Dublin Transportation Initiative had recommended against an underground system on financial and other grounds.

He pointed out that the DTI had recommended that an on street LRT system should form part of the overall transport strategy for the Dublin area and said this strategy had been accepted by the Government as its policy framework.

Legislation would be introduced shortly to provide for a mandatory public inquiry into all aspects of the LRT project, and he said those who were still not convinced that it was the best could argue their case at this inquiry.

But "notwithstanding the stated policy on LRT", the Minister said he would be obliged by the legislation to consider "fully and objectively" the inquiry inspector's report before making a final decision on the project.

Mr Donal Mangan, the LRT project director, told the Chartered Institute of Transport this week that Dublin risked losing a major opportunity to improve its public transport system by examining other options at this stage.

"The time for options has passed and the time for action is already overdue", he said. The DTI had come up with an agreed strategy, a financial package was in place, and "the only action required is to implement the plan". He added: "Never before has such a significant level of EU funding been available for the development of public transport in the Dublin area and it is unlikely to be available again."

But Mr Kieran McLoughlin, of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, said it had serious reservations" about LRT and believed that these needed to be addressed before proceeding with the "huge expenditure" and disruption which the project would involve.

He said key retailing streets would be closed for up to two years during the construction phase, with access restricted thereafter. He suggested that 25 quality bus corridors, with buses operating on their own reservations, could be installed for the same cost as LRT.