Cllr demands that Dempsey 'show Meath the money'

A demand to Transport Minister Noel Dempsey to 'Show Meath the money' for the proposed Navan rail link has been made by a local councillor. The demand from Cllr Peadar Tóibín, Navan, was made after the minister said last week that the Navan to Dublin Rail line would go ahead after all. This is despite the funding for the project not being included in the Government's revised infrastructural plan. Cllr Tóibín condemned Mr Dempsey's handling of the project. "The Navan to Dublin Rail line was first promised to Meath in 1994 by Noel Dempsey. Indeed, he has dined out politically on this promise for over 15 years. The only constant throughout those years is that each deadline for delivery has been broken. "It must also be remembered that Dempsey was confident that his electronic voting machines, at a cost €56 million, would be introduced, yet they are now in cold storage at the country's cost. It is no wonder that the people of Meath are sceptical at Dempsey's latest promise," he said. Cllr Tóibín asked why a hard-pressed Taoiseach would leave out the funding for the rail line from the latest infrastructural plan. "Does anyone really believe for one second that if Fianna Fail were going to go ahead with the project they would hide the project under a bushel? If the money is not in the plan, where is it going to come from? Is an increasing desperate Dempsey just looking to make it across the line in the 2012 general election? If the money exists for the project, it is quite simple - Show Meath the money." Cllr Tóibín said Sinn Féin had launched a door-to-door campaign to collect signatures from people in the county from this weekend. "A petition will be created online. We will use every avenue open to us, including the council, the Dáil, the Seanad and even peaceful protests on the streets to put pressure on Minister Dempsey to follow through on his promise. This project is central to the development of the county. We will not let the minister off the hook for one second until it is delivered. If he cannot deliver for Meath, he should stand aside," said the Sinn Fein councillor. Timetable Meath commuters need to see a railway timetable or else be told the Navan to Dublin rail plan has been shunted aside, according to Senator Dominic Hannigan. He said the future of the proposed rail link between the capital and the county town must be clarified. "This was supposed to be on track by 2004, then it was 2010 and now were told 2016, yet no money has been put aside in the Government's coffers to make it happen. Transport Minister Dempsey may insist the Dublin-Navan rail project hasn't been put on the long finger, but I suspect it's actually been put on the back burner," he said. An engineer by profession, Senator Hannigan has been involved in the planning of new railway lines. "Assuming the second phase of the railway order gets through the planning process, it is not at all clear where the money is going to come from to begin construction. The fact is that the last stage of the Navan to Dublin rail link is not among the Government's key strategic projects announced in the capital review programme, nor is it included among their medium- to long-term goals. This does not bode well for the future of the scheme. The people of Meath are getting mixed messages and this is why we need clarity," he stressed. Senator Hannigan said he intended to question the Transport Minister on the specifics of the Dublin-Navan rail plan. "I will be asking the minister what exactly is being budgeted for and when. You could say I'm looking for a railway timetable. The first phase of the Navan-Dublin rail link will go ahead with the opening of the Clonsilla to Dunboyne section later this year. Now we just need some transparency around what is going to happen after that," he added. Fine Gael Navan councillor Suzanne Jamal expressed her anger on hearing the news that Dunboyne to Navan Rail link was not a priority. "Our Minister for Transport and Meath Fianna Fail politicians had been promising that this would go ahead during the last general and local election campaigns," she said. "I am extremely disappointed at this news and, despite the fact that Fianna Fail are in Government, they cannot deliver this infrastructure for the people of Meath. There is a huge commuter population in Meath and this is yet another blow to our community." Meanwhile, Mr Dempsey will travel onboard one of the first test trains on the Dunboyne M3 commuter railway today (Wednesday). The train carrying the minister will arrive into Dunboyne station shortly after noon. Construction of the new line is now complete and driver training has now commenced on the line. The 7.5km of track from Clonsilla to M3 Parkway, the first phase of the Dublin to Navan rail line, will open next month.