Significant advantages for commuters, businesses and communities

In Ireland, we have recognised the critical importance of transport infrastructure in promoting economic development, and a greater quality of life and standard of living, for the years ahead. That is why we are involved in the most extensive period of investment in our transport network than at any time in the past.

This investment is being made according to a detailed plan for the transformation of Ireland’s national road, rail, tram, metro, bus and regional airport links. This plan is called Transport 21.

With a total investment package of €34 billion, the Transport 21 investment is unprecedented. Transport 21, which runs from 2006-2015, will deliver tangible improvements in road, rail and air infrastructure in every part of Ireland.

The Transport 21 transformation of Ireland’s transport infrastructure is already well underway. Last year alone, the Government invested €2.8 billion transforming road, rail and air links across the country. This was a substantial increase of 33% on 2006. Since Transport 21 was unveiled, a total of €4.7 billion has now been invested. Almost €3 billion in funding has been allocated for 2008.

In recognition of the importance of providing people with environmentally responsible travel options, Transport 21 also involves a number of significant public transport projects. The 2007 budget for public transport improvements was more than €640 million. This amounts to an increase of 82% in spending on public transport in 2007 when compared with 2006, and illustrates our commitment to the delivery of green transport alternatives.

But this is not just about the figures. Transport 21 is delivering significant and real benefits across Ireland. But what, in particular, does Transport 21 mean for Dublin?

Transport 21 will, over the lifetime of the programme, revolutionise how people travel around Dublin, how they access the capital, and how they move between Dublin and the other main urban centres on the island of Ireland.

The Transport 21 plan includes the development of five Major Inter-Urban Routes (MIUs) linking Dublin with Northern Ireland, and the major urban areas of Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford. In 2007, the first of the five planned MIUs was completed, with the opening of the final section of the M1 Dublin – Border motorway.

By the end of March 2008, 313 kilometres of these planned roads were open to traffic, with 425 kilometres under construction. We are now well on target to complete the remaining inter-urban routes by 2010. These major road developments are exceptionally important for linkages between Dublin and the rest of Ireland – north and south, east and west – and are being delivered on time, and on budget.

In addition, under Transport 21, substantial work is being undertaken on the upgrade of Dublin’s M50 motorway. The M50 Dublin Port Tunnel has already been delivered, and by 2010, the capacity of the M50 will have increased by 50%. The development of the M50 will deliver extra lanes in both directions from the south of the M1/M50 interchange near Dublin Airport through to the Sandyford Interchange, as well as 10 new junctions.

Work began on Phase One of the scheme in autumn 2006, consisting of the upgrading of 8 kilometres of the existing carriageway between the N4, (Galway Road), N7 (Naas Road/Red Cow Roundabout) and Ballymount Interchange, and will be completed this year. New lanes, including new dedicated lanes for moving from one interchange to another, are already open to traffic. The construction of new full and partial free flowing interchanges at the Red Cow, Liffey Valley and Ballymount roundabouts will also bring real relief from traffic congestion.

Transport 21 has also directed significant funding towards public transport in Dublin, for the simple reason that the Transport Department understands that if the Irish public is to change its transport habits, then it must be given an alternative to the car.

Since the announcement of the addition of 100 buses to the Dublin Bus fleet in 2007, a range of new services have been introduced and existing services have been expanded. In addition, 50 new triaxle buses, which carry 33 more passengers than a standard bus, have been introduced across the service.

In terms of Greater Dublin Area links into the capital – from counties Meath, Kildare, and Wicklow – Transport 21 has also significantly invested in coaches for Bus Éireann, Ireland’s national bus company. Transport 21 funding has allowed Bus Éireann to order 160 new vehicles, including 69 additional vehicles: single deck city buses, single deck commuter coaches, and double deck commuter coaches.

Delivery of these new vehicles began in 2007, with 105 delivered by mid June 2008, and the remaining 55 entering service by the end of this year. Already, new services have been introduced, such as the important coach link from the commuter town of Navan, County Meath to Dublin, with further new services and frequency enhancements planned for 2008 and 2009.

One of the most exciting new public transport developments in Dublin City are the new metro links – Metro North and Metro West. Transport 21 is investing in a metro system for Dublin, the first of its kind in Ireland, which will bring real benefits to all Dubliners for decades to come. The combined lengths of these new metro lines will be approximately 43 kilometres long.

Metro North is an 18 kilometre metro line running from St Stephen’s Green, in the south city centre of Dublin, to Lissenhall, in north Dublin. Metro North will take this route via Dublin Airport, providing for the first time a rail link to the airport. This is particularly significant as Dublin Airport is not only Ireland’s busiest airport; it is also amongst the 10 busiest airports in Europe. In addition to the airport link, Metro North will serve several major population centres and business zones, including the Mater Hospital, Dublin City University, and O’Connell Street where a major metro station will be located directly under the River Liffey.

When completed, Metro North is expected to carry 34 million passengers a year. The real benefits that Metro North will offer Dubliners, and visitors to Dublin, include the ability to travel from Dublin Airport to the city centre in under 20 minutes, and the facility to interchange easily to rail, the Dublin tram system, Luas and bus services.

In May 2008, tender documents were issued to the four pre-qualified consortia to design, construct, maintain and operate the new service. Significant progress has been made in preparing the application for a Railway Order, which is essentially planning permission for the project. This is expected to be lodged with An Bord Pleanála, the body responsible for the consideration and determination of certain planning matters, by the end of 2008.

The second significant metro service being planned – Metro West – will link the towns of Tallaght, Clondalkin, Blanchardstown and Porterstown. It will provide a fast commuter service to the city centre, and will be approximately 25 kilometres long. Metro West will interconnect with Luas and suburban rail lines, and also with Metro North, greatly enhancing the connectivity of the whole rail based public transport network.

To date, the Railway Procurement Agency has selected an emerging preferred route, and consultations on some details of the route are underway. Extensive consultation has taken place with key stakeholders, and a competition is being held in conjunction with the Royal Institute of Architects in Ireland (RIAI) to design a landmark bridge over the Liffey Valley.

In Dublin City, the development of the Dart interconnector, the 5.2 kilometre underground tunnel which will link the Northern line to the Kildare line, with underground stops at Docklands, Pearse, St Stephen’s Green, Christchurch and Heuston, is progressing.

The Interconnector will quadruple the capacity of the Greater Dublin commuter rail network to over 100 million passenger journeys annually. It will be completed by 2015 under the Transport 21 package of investment. A Railway Order application – the equivalent to planning permission – will be made in 2009, and it is hoped construction will begin in 2010.

A significant expansion of the Dublin tram system – the Luas – is also underway. There are two Luas lines currently in use, and 28.4 million passenger trips were made on the Luas in 2007.

Already this year, the length of all 26 trams the Tallaght Luas line has been extended from 30 to 40 metres. Construction work is also continuing on two Luas extensions – a new 7.5 kilometre stretch from Sandyford to Cherrywood, and the extension of the Luas from the north city centre through Dublin’s docklands.

Significant further extensions of the Luas are also being planned. When the new Cherrywood line is complete, a further extension will bring the Luas to the high density residential and commercial developments west of Bray, Co. Wicklow. It is also planned to provide a Luas link to Bray Dart station.

Work on a four kilometre extension of the Luas to Citywest – a significant residential and business location west of Dublin – is pending. A hearing was held in March at An Bord Pleanála on the project. Also, extensive public consultations have taken place regarding the proposed Luas from Lucan to the city centre. Lucan is a large population centre, approximately 16 kilometres from the city centre, and the addition of a Luas line will considerably enhance options for busy commuters. More than 2,300 submissions were made by the public regarding this Luas development.

Transport 21 is a truly historic investment and regeneration of Ireland’s transport infrastructure. With this plan, the Irish Government has taken a long-term view and over the decade of this programme, transport in Ireland will be radically altered.

The need for a planned approach to the redevelopment of Ireland’s transport infrastructure was highlighted during Ireland’s recent, and considerable, economic expansion. Our road, rail and bus networks, designed at a different time and in different economic conditions, came under serious pressure. With Transport 21, we have set out a plan which should provide the type of transport system that Dublin, and the entire country, will need for future decades. And we are delivering on this plan.

Transport 21 is designed to meet the needs of the capital and the country for years to come. The advantages are already being delivered and, with almost €3 billion in spending for 2008, Transport 21 is continuing to make significant progress in transforming Ireland’s transport infrastructure, for commuters, for business, and for communities.