Based on the new alternative future scenario demand model, it seems that Dart+ Tunnel has been deemed not needed during the lifetime of this strategy. I do not understand how this decision was arrived at given that Dart Underground has been an objective of transport planning in Dublin since A Platform for Change back in 2000. Are we now saying that all prior forecasts and assessment are incorrect in identifying a need for a Dart interconnector at this location?
It seems that the NTA rationale for this decision to effectively cancel Dart+ Tunnel during the lifetime of this plan is based solely on the Jacobs Report to assess Dart+ Tunnel Route Options and Feasibility. The Jacobs report acknowledges that it is not business case for Dart+ Tunnel and recommends a route that is near identical to the previously most advanced route for the prior incarnation of Dart+ Tunnel, Dart Underground. Why has the decision to cancel/delay Dart+ Tunnel been based solely on the Jacobs report when an identical alignment has a full business case completed by Irish Rail back in 2010? Shouldn't the 2010 Irish Rail business case be updated as a result and also be used to inform a decision on Dart+ Tunnel? We know that the The Irish Rail business case, based on the Wider Economic Benefits model, found a 4 to 1 return on investment for that recommended route, and there seems to have been no dicussion about how the Jacobs report (which is not a full business case) only found a 1 to 1 ROI.