Following a debate on Metro North at yesterday’s monthly Fingal County Council meeting, I was pleased to obtain cross party support from all Fingal County Councillors and considerable support from County Manager, Mr. David O’Connor.
The thrust of my contribution was the importance of the delivery of Metro North to Dublin, Fingal & Ireland. Despite unfounded arguments to the contrary, Metro North will be a key economic driver for the Swords and surrounding areas and has the potential to create up to 4-5,000 jobs during the initial construction phase followed by upward of 30,000 jobs as a result of its delivery.
My contribution to the debate included the following points which you might find informative.
Vital infrastructure for Dublin, Fingal & Ireland.
This project will cost the taxpayer approximately €100 Million in enabling works.
4-5,000 construction jobs which should remove up to €100 million from the social welfare budget. Not to mention VAT, Income Tax, Corporation Tax, PRSI and other associated gains for the taxpayers.
This project will provide vital employment for many thousands of skilled and unskilled construction workers, many of whom have been left in dole queues right across this state. The capital budget is crucial to our future development as a city.
There is a potential for an additional 30,000 jobs for the Fingal region according to INDECON as a result of its delivery including up to 2,000 jobs to be provided at an international hub through DAA lands rezoned at the request of the DAA & the Fingal County Manager, Mr. David O’Connor in October 2010.
Metro North is a key driver in the delivery of policies implemented by the Council through the Development Plan & Economic Development Unit which include proper and sustainable planning and growth for major urban towns such as Swords.
The estimated cost of this project is 2.5 billion and not the wildly inaccurate guess work on the part of naysayers of this project. This project has been backed by the European Investment Bank. The project will be paid for over a 25 year period with the investment being made through a PPP. It should also be noted that the state will not have to pay for this facility for the first five years, by which time we will have a new government and a new financial outlook. The cost benefit analysis suggests that for every €1 invested, the state will gain €2.
May I also be very clear. MetroNorth is not a vanity project to ferry people to the Airport. It is a critical piece of infrastructure that will allow upward of 100,000 citizen in Fingal, access to the city and other employment nodes in a quick and efficient manner. It is critical for Swords and every proposed stop along its route, not to mention our nearest third level institution.
It includes the potential for 20,000 journeys per hour and city journey times of under 25 minutes.
It is interchangeable with Luas allowing connectability within our city transport systems.
Further information on the Metro North project can be found at www.rpa.ie