“The delivery of a new, long-term, sustainable transport option to serve Swords and Dublin Airport must happen now” says Alan Farrell, Fine Gael TD for Dublin Fingal.
“Census 2011 identified Fingal as having a growth rate of almost four times that of Dublin city. With such a fast growing population, and with falling unemployment levels, it is essential that a long-term, sustainable transport option is delivered to serve Swords and Dublin Airport. The development of such infrastructure is of the utmost importance as the demand placed upon our existing transport network is unsustainable in the long-term. For this reason, I am calling on the cabinet, and specifically the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe TD to provide a rail-based solution, which will meet the long-term requirements of the North County and connect Swords and Dublin Airport with the city centre.
“As we faced into the economic crisis, the previous government made many promises, including the provision of Metro North, which were simply unfeasible at that time. However, with our economy firmly on the road to recovery, I believe that the provision of a light-rail based transport option to link the North County with the city centre is vital in order to promote the future sustainable development of Swords and its surrounding areas and will no doubt take thousands of car journeys off our roads in the coming decade.
“Given that a timeframe of between six and ten years is necessary for the development of such a vital transport hub, I believe that, in order to provide a transport option with the adequate capacity to cater for the increasing population in the North County, it is essential that a decision be made on the provision of this vital link urgently.
“Those who live and work in Swords, Dublin Airport and surrounding communities have waited long enough for certainty regarding this critical infrastructure. I believe Minister Donohoe should put a plan into action to equip the North County with the necessary capital funding to provide a high-frequency, rail-based solution which will provide us with a level of connectivity that our road infrastructure simply cannot.”