Varadkar must come clean on Navan Rail - Cassells

Fianna Fail whip in County Meath Cllr Shane Cassells has called for the government to come clean on the Navan Rail Line and announce whether it has already been secretly 'scrapped' by Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar.
 
His call comes following a document seen by Navan councillors at a special planning meeting gave the strongest indication thus far that the axe was about to fall on the rail line.
 
The news came in a letter from Michael MacAree, head of Integrated Planning at the new National Transport Authority, which was circulated to councillors during a discussion on public transport proposals for Navan.
 
In the letter Mr MacAree is quoted as saying that: "Given the current economic situation it is unlikely that Navan Rail line project will be delivered in the time scale of the Development Plan (2015)."
 
In light of this letter Cllr Cassells has now called for Fine Gael Meath West TD Damien English to come out and clarify whether Minister Varadkar has already made the decision to omit Navan from the new National Development Plan due to be published in September.
 
"It is now beginning to look deadly ominous for us here in Navan," slammed Cllr Cassells.
 
"I am appealing to this new government not to break the promise made by Damien English to deliver this line to the people of Meath."
 
The Navan Area and Town councillors had met to finalise details pertaining to their own development plan which would facilitate the lodging of the planning permission for the line in September.
 
In the course of their discussions the letter from the NTA came to light. The correspondence has also thrown doubt on whether the new transport authority for the country will even proceed to lodge the planning application with An Bord Plenala.
 
Mr MacAcree is quoted in the letter as saying that: "At present a rail order is being prepared for the Navan rail line which will be submitted to the NTA for funding approval. When the proposed rail order is received the NTA will make its determination in this regard."
 
Reacting furiously to this Cllr Cassells stated that the funds for the planning process had been put in place by Fianna Fail under the revised spending plan published last year.
 
"It really defies belief and looks as if the power brokers in Fine Gael, who are all based in Dublin, will protect their pet projects and we will be dropped off the list.
 
"As Minister Varadkar has refused to meet us I would plead with Deputy English to make the case for us here in Navan. In any review it is all about priorities and I would hope that Navan will still be on that list published by the government."