As the Cabinet prepares to announce its decision on the Luas rail system for Dublin today, some business interests and politicians demanded that the Government accept the recommendations of the W.S. Atkins report and proceed right away with an overground project.
The calls followed yesterday's newspaper reports that the Cabinet is likely to opt for a partial underground system in the city centre.
The South Dublin Chamber of Commerce claimed yesterday that the problems of disruption during the building of Luas were overstated.
Mr John Dunne, chief executive of the chamber, said there were many ways in which disruption could be minimised. People should remember that if nothing is done because of fears of disruption, the situation would get worse, with no prospect of it getting any better.
Fine Gael's spokeswoman on traffic, Ms Olivia Mitchell, appealed to the Government to "put the needs of a living city first" and proceed with the transport option endorsed by all the experts, including last week's Atkins report.
"Dublin deserves an on-street Luas system by 2002, not an underground promise on the never-never. The commuters of Dublin have nothing to fear but indecision from this Government. The capital would be better off with no Luas rather than the kind of camel some reports suggest is being designed by a Government committee."
Warning that the "suassios Luas" would jeopardise part, if not all EU funding, she said it would certainly not win the confidence and custom of commuters, most of whom would be women who do not feel safe underground.
The Green MEP, Ms Patricia McKenna, said if the Government did not adhere to the Atkins recommendations, it would double the cost of the whole project "as if money grows on trees".
"Do we really have so much money that we can squander it so freely or is this another example of the PD tail wagging the Fianna Fail dog?" she asked.
Senator Joe Costello of Labour said the current debate on Luas was completely overlooking the transport needs of the people of Dublin's north side.
The installation of the line, be it overground or underground, would lead only to "upheaval" for the people in his constituency.
The Atkins consultants had been asked by the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, to consider a light rail line for the north side but were invited to consider two lines for the south side.
"That is disgraceful. The delays in proceeding with the Luas project mean that the people of the north side will have to wait even longer before their public transport needs are fully considered."
According to Senator Costello, there was "a transport crisis" on the north side.