[P11 Press Release] Announcement of Metro North Route

[Mark Gleeson]

Announcement of Metro North Route

Date: 19th October 2006
From: Derek Wheeler, Communications and Media Office, Platform 11.
Contact : (086) 3452651
Issued by: Platform 11. The National Rail Users Organisation.

Platform 11 Ireland's National Rail Users Organisation welcomes today's announcement of the route of Metro north. After over 2 years of campaigning including a submission to the O'Reilly report and our own metro report, we are delighted that two key areas of the project have been addressed:

1) Integration of Metro north with the Maynooth rail line
2) Extension of Metro project to Swords.

These changes to the original proposal strengthen Metro north’s viability and improves the commuting options of many thousands of people, they are an example of how a public consultation process, which proceeded today’s announcement, can yield valuable input from concerned parties such as Platform 11. It important that the government continue to encourage engagement with the public in relation to Transport 21 projects.

Our only concern with today’s announcement is the government’s ability to fully commit to finishing the project on time. Our record on large infrastructural project continues to be poor.

ENDS

http://www.platform11.org/media/pres...&no=pr_13.html

[moyrusk]

All I can say to you all at P11 is congratulations, excellent work, shows what the persistence of a few can achieve in this country - well done all, the drinks are on me the next time I bump into Derek at Heuston - Any chance you could now turn your attention northwards ??!!

Moyrusk

[Mark Gleeson]

To be fair to the RPA they have moved Lissenhall slightly south to allow greater flexibilty for a northwards extension, it was in the submission we made

We happy with today we got a good metro, a lot better than had been planned. The RPA really picked up the game in February and to be fair they listened to a us and a lot of other people, they took the time to meet a lot of people. They where open and reasonable about things we queried

There is no doubt that the vocal actions of Platfrom 11 and others forced the government to give the RPA a bit of slack to make the metro work

[Derek Wheeler]

Thanks Moyrusk.

Always nice to get a compliment. We're happy that the P11 input has garnered some decent results for Metro North. As for turning our attention up north....Louise would divorce me!

As news days like this are busy for us, my thanks to MarkG "in the control room" for his trojan backup as usual.

[Thomas J Stamp]

Turning our attention up north?

Why not join one of those wonderful new customer focus groups that IE have set up.

You can even win a prize.

Totaly impartial, of course.