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IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SDLP MLA BURNS: DISAPPOINTMENT AT BUS BASED TRANSIT ANNOUNCEMENT
 

SDLP South Antrim MLA Thomas Burns said he is disappointed with the announcement that Regional Development Minister Conor Murphy will opt for a bus based rapid transit system for Greater Belfast and has said he had hoped instead for proposals for a light rail system to be advanced.

He said: “I am glad to hear that the Minister’s advisers have concluded that a Rapid Transit system is viable, but I would urge him to go for the standard international option of a light rail system rather than a bus-based system.

“Light rail has a higher capital cost but like the LUAS in Dublin, it has a good economic payback even in the medium term. A bus-based system is always at the mercy of traffic flows and cannot guarantee the sort of reliable timetabling needed to get drivers out of their cars. A light rail system, even on-road, has an absolute traffic priority which is its greatest commercial advantage.

“I would urge the Minister to have courage and vision and not be beholden to any vested interests I fear his advisers are seriously under-estimating the potential of such a system to attract passengers. We need a totally integrated approach to cover all aspects of transport including CO2 emissions and full environmental impact. In the longer term, the current system of private car transport and gridlock is absolutely unsustainable, so comparative costings must reflect that reality. We need to invest in a system which can actually take all the potential passengers when the day dawns that they leave their cars behind.”
 

ENDS