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From todays Irish Examiner

11 November 2006

RPA attacks Cullen’s plans to replace it with new agency

By Seán McCárthaigh
THE State body with current responsibility for the development of a Metro for Dublin has hit out at plans by the Transport Minister, Martin Cullen, to replace it with a new agency.


The Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) yesterday warned that proposals announced earlier this week by Mr Cullen to establish a Dublin Transport Authority (DTA) with sweeping powers over existing public transport companies could delay plans to complete the Metro by 2013.

In a statement released yesterday, the RPA stressed that it fully supported the establishment of the new body if it could “add value” to the work of existing transport bodies in implementing the Government’s Transport 21 programme for the greater Dublin region.




However, the RPA said it disagreed with Mr Cullen’s proposals that it should be fully absorbed into the new DTA.

The minister has approved the recommendations contained in the report of an advisory group that the DTA should take over direct responsibility for several key rail projects from the RPA, including the metro and an underground rail interconnector.

The RPA said the proposals would effectively lead to the dismantling and abolition of an agency which had built up a proven track record in recent years at delivering successful rail projects like Luas.

It questioned the rationale for such a decision due to the amount of work already carried out on future projects by the RPA.

“The report does not provide a credible explanation as to why a new State agency is required to take over the implementation of Metro and Luas projects whose planning is now well advanced,” said the RPA statement.

It pointed out that the RPA had already developed significant momentum on plans for the Metro and other projects like extensions to the two existing Luas lines.

The RPA warned that the establishment of a new body to take control of such projects could also cause confusion and consequent delays for such landmark projects.

It is understood that the RPA would be reluctant to issue any legal contracts relating to the Metro, given plans for its replacement by the DTA.

The RPA’s opposition to the DTA comes as another setback to Mr Cullen as the head of the advisory group, Professor Margaret O’Mahony, declined to accept the position of interim chairperson of the DTA.

It is believed that Prof O’Mahony was surprised that one of her group’s recommendations about the powers to be given to the DTA on the issue of land use had been rejected by Mr Cullen. However, she has indicated that the issue was not the reason for her decision to turn down the interim chair of the DTA.

Meanwhile CIÉ has declined to comment on the proposed new body.

Under the minister’s proposals, the DTA will assume major financial powers over the operations in the greater Dublin area of the group’s three main transport companies — Dublin Bus, Iarnród Éireann and Bus Éireann.

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