The Government has approved funding for the first 20 trams for the Luas light rail project, writes Frank McNally. The trams, which will be built in France at a cost of £28.7 million, will run on the Tallaght to Dublin city centre line.
The Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, also confirmed that, since she made the Light Railway Order for the Tallaght line on March 1st, no application for judicial review has been received within the two-month limit.
"I am very confident the light-rail project team can advance now to securing tenders and allow the construction to commence," the Minister said. She added that the project was ahead of schedule. Work on the Tallaght line is expected to begin early next year and finish in late 2002.
Ms O'Rourke also told the Dail other aspects of the project were advancing on schedule: the public inquiry into the Sandyford to St Stephen's Green section is already under way and preliminary studies are about to start on the city-centre underground section.
During a Private Members debate on Tuesday night, she said that Dublin's DART system would get 10 new carriages in September, with a further 16 in September 2000.