Public Transport

134. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Transport the position regarding the new projected costs for MetroLink, if he will commit to delivering MetroLink within this new projected cost, if he will commit to equivalent ambition and resourcing for public transport projects outside of Dublin over the same period, and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67303/26]

I also want to ask about whether there is an equivalent ambition to delivering more rural services, as we cannot have a situation where all of the money for the next few years is invested inside the M50 and not beyond.

The Estimates are the Estimates. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating when the tender is brought in. I will not give any commitment until we see what the real overall cost is from the tenders. The range that is there at the moment is between €14.4 billion at the lower end to €17.49 billion. The firm proof of the pudding will be when the tenders come in next year. This project is a key component in delivering not just a rail connection within the city of Dublin, but also the opportunity to build houses and open the entire city up for development. The Deputy asked about rural Ireland and what we were doing around the country. We have put the Galway outer ring road and the Cork commuter rail in as two strategic projects that we need to get done. They are moving ahead fairly fast. Within the all-island rail strategy, which is under my remit, the Deputy can see what has been prioritised in terms of rural rail and what needs to be done there. The Deputy can see what we are already doing in terms of the development at Cork and Limerick stations and what has been completed at Galway station in order to provide for additional rail capacity. That is happening as we speak under the strategy. There is an opportunity for us in the regions to make sure that we continue to develop and provide the infrastructure so that people can live, work and enjoy life in the regions. That is Government policy.

I know I am under time constraints, but I note that some people from Garvaghy Road have arrived in the Public Gallery. I welcome them and stand in solidarity with and support them. There is only one problem, in that the Minister of State has not answered the question I asked him about the budgetary constraints and whether the Government was going to deliver on cost. We have seen what happened over the years with the children's hospital - the cost overruns there - so is the Minister of State going to give us a commitment to deal with any escalating costs? What provisions has the Government put in place to prevent a cost overrun like those we have seen on so many different projects over the years? The Government cannot present the public with another multibillion euro project without keeping costs down because we have seen cuts around the country, particularly in County Kerry, where we are waiting on more buses and larger buses. One cannot even get a cup of tea on the train from Kerry to Dublin. We see that the lack of services there in contrast to all the moneys being committed, so we want to make sure that the money is going to be limited.

The Deputy is asking what kinds of constraint or what time or safety factors we will put into the contract. That contract and the conditions of that contract are being prepared at the moment before it goes out to tender. I can assure the Deputy that this project will be delivered. It has to be delivered because it is vital for the country. It is the single largest project that we will undertake from a capital expenditure point of view. I look forward to it being delivered. Many projects in this country are delivered on time, within budget and to the highest standards, and we do not talk about that at all. It is important that I say that and put it on the record.