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Irish Times
31-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
BusConnects route will come in ‘on time, on budget', says Darragh O'Brien
Darragh O'Brien has pledged that the first of 12 BusConnect corridors in Dublin will come in 'on budget and on time'. Construction is due to begin on the 9.2km Liffey Valley to Dublin city centre route in September after a contract worth up to €274 million was signed with Irish company GMC Group Ltd. Announcing the launch on Thursday, the Minister for Transport said 'it's going to transform bus use within the city' along with significant cycling and walking facilities. Passenger numbers are predicted to increase by 58 per cent with faster travel times. The project is expected to take about three years, he said. Asked about the potential for delays, Mr O'Brien acknowledged he and interim National Transport Authority (NTA) chief executive Hugh Creegan would have responsibility. READ MORE But he said he emphasised to GMC that construction should be 'on time and on budget'. 'That's what we will do our level best to ensure and we have built contingency into this contract too,' he said. 'I think most people understand from a lot of the projects that we build here this is a medieval city. The routes have been mapped and have been surveyed as well. But we're looking at a three-year build on this. If we can do it sooner than that we will, but we're being realistic about it.' Planning for all 12 corridors has been approved, but a number remain subject to High Court judicial review. BusConnects aims to 'transform' bus services. The corridors will cover 230km of dedicated bus lanes overall with 200km of cycling infrastructure. The Liffey Valley scheme is to start at Fonthill Road and connect to the Liffey Valley shopping centre bus interchange. It will continue through Coldcut Road and Ballyfermot village before moving along Sarsfield Road, Grattan Crescent, Emmet Road, James's Street, Thomas Street and High Street, connecting to and the city centre transport network. It will be accompanied by 13.3km of improved cycling infrastructure. Mr O'Brien said the bus corridors were 'really significant', while the proposed MetroLink will be 'transformational ... not just for Dublin, but for the region, and indeed for our airport'. The railway line will link the city centre and Dublin Airport. He rejected comments by Ryanair group chief executive Michael O'Leary , who said the MetroLink project was a waste of money. Mr O'Brien said Ryanair has changed aviation across Europe, but 'this isn't just about the airport or airport connectivity'. North Dublin is a major growth area and MetroLink enabled further economic development for the airport, 'but above and beyond the airport, more housing development along the route, too'. The business case for MetroLink showed a €4 return on every €1 invested. 'It's a badly needed project,' he said, adding: 'We're the fifth-best connected airport in Europe. We're one of the few without a direct rail link into the city and beyond.' Asked about the introduction of contactless payments on public transport, Mr O'Brien said this should be phased in from the end of 2027 or in 2028.
Irish Independent
31-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Construction of first Dublin bus corridor of BusConnects project to start within weeks
Work will begin on the 9.2km corridor from Liffey Valley in west Dublin to the city centre in September and it is to be completed in three years. The cost is expected put between €198m to €247m, with Irish firm GMC Group getting the main contract. Announcing the contract and work schedule, Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien, said the project would transform bus use in the city. Passenger numbers on services using the corridor were expected to rise by 58pc, and an increase of 45pc in walkers and cyclists was expected on the accompanying new pedestrian and cycling infrastructure. 'Today marks a major turning point for BusConnects and for public transport in Dublin,' Mr O'Brien said. 'BusConnects is about futureproofing our city's transport network – creating a cleaner, better connected city that works for commuters, communities and the climate.' Dublin already has numerous bus lanes but the bus corridors will be exclusively for buses, with priority access at junctions and traffic lights. Twelve corridors have been designed, each running from a point near the city centre to a suburb or splitting half-way to serve two suburbs. They will run to a total length of 230km and be accompanied by 200km of new or improved cycle lanes. Road widening to create the corridors will require shaving off parts of the gardens and grounds of hundreds of homes and business premises with hundreds of roadside parking spaces and trees also to be removed. ADVERTISEMENT Contracts for a second corridor, running to Ballymun and Finglas, are due to be signed before the end of this year with construction to begin early in 2026. A third, the route serving Tallaght and Clondalkin, is to go to tender late this year. The other nine corridors have planning permission but six are being challenged in the courts. Mr O'Brien said he could not give a timeframe for the completion of the entire project as a result. However, he said he expected commenced projects would stick to targets. In preparing the contracts, he said: 'I emphasised two things – on time and on budget.' The Minister also said he was hopeful of MetroLink getting planning permission shortly. He said he disagreed with recent comments by Ryanair boss, Michael O'Leary, that the project was an unnecessary waste of money that wasn't needed for Dublin Airport. 'I'm not sure if Michael has looked at the business case for Metro – that for every euro invested there will be a return of €4 to the economy and the exchequer,' he said. The Minister confirmed that the extension of free travel for children up to eight would go ahead 'in September or October'. He gave no assurances around the continuation of the 20pc cut in public transport fares introduced during the cost of living crisis, however. He also said he expected that contactless payment on public transport would begin from late 2027.
Zawya
16-06-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Egypt: GMC Group incurs 181.9% YoY higher losses in Q1 2025
Arab Finance: GMC Group for Industrial, Commercial, and Financial Investments (GMCI) suffered net losses after tax valued at EGP 430,101 in the first quarter (Q1) of 2025, the financial results showed. The incurred net losses were higher by 181.90% year-on-year (YoY) than the EGP 152,569 reported in Q1 2024. Loss per share hit EGP 0.01 in Q1 2025, versus EGP 0.003 in Q1 2024. Established in 1992, the company is primarily engaged in the provision of petroleum services related to oil exploration, drilling, and maintenance. © 2020-2023 Arab Finance For Information Technology. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
