Press Release
Local Swords (IND)Cllr., Joe Newman has slammed the government parties today. He said this government and in particular Fine Gael and the Greens have sat on their hands and ignored the transport pressures on North County Dublin and in particular Dublin Airport and Swords town.
Newman said a prominent Fine Gael minister made a faithful promise to representatives of the Dublin Fingal Chamber of Commerce back in 2016. That promise was to have Metro-North/ Metrolink completed by 2027 at a cost of € 3 billion. He said this was absolutely going to happen. Successive Governments have failed to keep this promise that he made to representatives of the Dublin Fingal Chamber of Commerce back in 2016. That promise was to have Metrolink completed by 2027 at a cost of €3 billion. He said this was absolutely going to happen.
Newman says that many of the problems that our national airport and road network in North County Dublin are currently experiencing are a direct consequence of the minister’s failure to deliver on this promise. The councillor also says that it is an absolute disgrace that the Green Party members of government are sitting idly by and allowing the situation to continue.
Newman says the Metro North seems to be once again pushed back to somewhere around 2035. People need to understand that this project was first recommend back in 2004.
Back in 2004 it was clear to transport planners that our national airport was on a significant growth protectory and would desperately need a direct trainline to the city’s capital. It was equally clear to road transport planners that the Economic Corridor, the Belfast to Dublin and the Dublin to Wexford motorways were going to get extremely busy. It was also very obvious that Dublin City was fast growing out into the Fingal region. This was the area with the most potential building lands. This was the rational for the construction of Metro North.
A furious Cllr. Newman said that even with all this information to hand Fine Gael went on to build not one but three Luas lines in South Dublin. These he says have proven to be very successful and have served the Southside very well.
Newman is demanding that the current government parties take note that the only way that passengers can get to our national airport is on wheels! And these wheels need roads to travel on and parking spaces when they arrive at the airport. The road system to airport at peak times cannot cope and the airport has not got the capability to provide parking spaces.
Cllr. Newman is calling on the Greens in government to consider how many cars would be taken off our roads and how much fossil fuel would not burned if an efficient Metro North was available to passengers travelling to and from our national airport.
Newman says “Let’s Get Metro Done.”