Sir, – I was delighted to read that the Luas Finglas line could begin construction in 2028 (“Luas Finglas line could begin construction in 2028, Minister says,” June 23rd). As an Irish citizen, I find these announcements enormously reassuring. They remind me that while other countries waste time building infrastructure, we have perfected the more sophisticated art of discussing it.The MetroLink has been particularly inspiring. For years it has existed in a quantum state somewhere between a planning application, a press release and a ministerial aspiration. Successive ministers have confidently announced that progress is just around the corner, proving that in Ireland the shortest distance between two points is neither a straight line nor a railway line, but a media statement.Perhaps we should stop measuring projects in years and start measuring them in ministers. MetroLink is now entering its third or fourth ministerial generation and, if current trends continue, future archaeologists may discover its plans alongside the Book of Kells and conclude it was a mythical transport system worshipped by 21st-century Dubliners.Paul Davis,Associate professor,Dublin City University