Ryan takes aim at Varadkar over Metro ‘mistake’
GREEN Party leader Eamon Ryan has sparked Coalition tensions after he criticised a previous Fine Gael-led government for failing to build the MetroLink project when Leo Varadkar was the Transport Minister.
Mr Ryan moved to deflect blame from the current Government after it emerged rising construction costs pose a serious threat to the underground rail project between Dublin Airport and the city-centre.
In late September the Irish Mail on Sunday revealed details of a Cabinet memo which warned the long-delayed Dublin MetroLink, as well as DART and national road, rail and cycle projects, are all under threat due to a €14bn inflation-driven deficit in the National Development Plan (NDP).
Speaking to reporters at a round table interview this week, current Transport Minister Mr Ryan admitted completing key projects earmarked in the NDP ‘is going to be a huge challenge’.
But referring to the 2011 Fine Gaelled government’s failure to build the MetroLink despite securing funding and planning permission for the project, Mr Ryan said: ‘The one thing we can’t allow is what happened the last time. Metro was ready to go in 2011. It was included in the four-year plan. It had a €500m loan from EIB [European Investment Bank] secured and it had planning permission.
‘But because of the cutting of the capital budget, we didn’t build it.
You probably would have built it for a fraction of the cost it is going to cost now. We can’t make that mistake again.’
His comments will not go down
‘The new crisis is getting the capital funding’
well with his Fine Gael Coalition colleagues, in particular the Taoiseach, who was Transport Minister in 2011.
Fine Gael Fingal TD Alan Farrell this week pointed the finger of blame at An Bord Pleanála for the latest delay to the project.
He said: ‘An Bord Pleanála have said that they have yet to receive the inspector’s report which is needed to hold the oral hearing… this will add at least several months before the board can start to deliberate.’
However, Mr Ryan said securing ‘the necessary capital funds’ is the real threat to the project.
He added: ‘Up until now, the problem we’ve had is we couldn’t get stuff through planning. Therefore, projects weren’t ready to go.
‘That is about to change. An Bord Pleanála is back working fully operational. We expect a lot of decisions to be coming out in the next few months. The new crisis is getting the necessary capital funds.’
But Mr Ryan will have to get the green light from Fine Gael Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe before further funding will be released.
He said: ‘As agreed in the last summer economic statement, we will in January look at the €250m additional capital that is due to be allocated under the NDP ceilings [for 2024]. It is €750m in 2025 and then €1.1bn in 2026 in additional capital funding.
‘So, we are all going to have to sit down with Paschal in January.’
Outlining the scale of the inflation-driven rise in construction costs, Mr Ryan said: ‘On the original NDP, we went and totted
up all the projects we have in development and it was €70bn three years ago.
‘The inflation since is at least 25%, so we know we have €100bn of projects in development in transport. That is before you add the rail line to Navan, the western rail corridor, the second phase of Cork
metropolitan rail and all of these additional projects which we have worked on since.’
Even if the funding is agreed, Mr Ryan warned that it will take ‘two to three decades to build the €100bn of projects’.
Mr Ryan’s party is set for a collision course with Fine Gael and
Fianna Fáil over its insistence public transport projects are prioritised over new roads.
He said: ‘The priority will be for public transport, walking and cycling to help us meet our climate targets, because gridlock would cost us a fortune if we just went down the road use direction.’
However, Mr Ryan indicated windfall corporation tax receipts could come to the rescue of the MetroLink and other key infrastructure projects.
He said: ‘In terms of how we will meet that challenge, one thing that is significant in the setting aside of the corporate windfall tax and the €14bn infrastructure, climate and nature fund.
‘The use of that can go to a
‘Two to three decades to build the €100bn projects’
variety of things. Some €3.1bn to climate and nature, but in the remaining part of that fund, when we come to really large projects like the Metro… I expect to be able to use some of that infrastructure fund, if we need to.’
In response to Mr Ryan’s comments, a Fine Gael spokesman told the MoS: ‘Dublin Metro was deferred by the Fine Gael-Labour Government in 2011.
‘The country was in a bailout. We prioritised connecting the Luas lines instead as we could afford to do that.
‘The Fine Gael government elected in 2016 restarted Dublin MetroLink and we expect it to get planning approval in the next few months,’ the spokesman added.