MetroLink and Dart+ will be significantly progressed from early 2024

MetroLink and Dart+, the two long-promised flagship transport projects for Dublin, will be significantly progressed from early 2024 under new actions published as part of the Government’s Climate Action Plan for 2023.

Almost 450 separate actions are included in the annex to the plan which was published on Tuesday after being approved by Cabinet.

The Climate Action Plan was launched in December 2022 but the annex, which gives effect to its overarching goals, was not published until now, amid disagreement within Government about some of its measures.

The areas of most focus in the action plan are transport, retrofitting and renewable energy.

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The action in relation to MetroLink, Dublin’s first planned underground public transport line, targets further design and advance planning “in expectation of enabling works commencement in 2024″.

However, the target is qualified by a sentence that says progress will depend on approval from An Bord Pleanála.

The MetroLink was first recommended in the government’s Transport 21 strategy in 2005 but has yet to get beyond planning stage.

Similarly, the Dart+ plans have also been subject to delays. The annex sets out a target of achieving Cabinet approval for the project during 2023, and for Railway Orders to be submitted for the proposed southwest and coastal routes.

There are more than 20 actions earmarked for retrofitting and insulation of homes. The annex says the Government will have to provide a record budget allocation for residential and commercial retrofit in 2023.

It also targets 6,000 free energy upgrades during the year for households least able to afford retrofit. It also commits to retrofitting 2,400 local authority homes in 2023 as part of a commitment to retrofit 36,500 social houses by 2030.

There is also a commitment to “build two exemplar public sector buildings using alternative technique and materials” during the year.

[ Frank McDonald: MetroLink could jeopardise the real missing link in Dublin’s transport plans ]

The annex calls for the publication of metropolitan area transport strategies for five cities by the end of the year, including the update of the Galway Transport Strategy.

It aims to have a total of 400 remote hubs in operation, to roll out 1,000km of cycle paths and walkways by 2025.

It also aims to include 108 additional schools in the Safe Routes to School programme, bringing the total to 500 by 2025. BusConnects plans will be prepared for five cities by the end of 2023, with ground work commencing on the Cork Area Commuter Rail programme by 2024.

In agriculture, a national fertiliser database will be established during 2023, and there are commitments to encourage more farmers to sign up to eco schemes that encourage the use of multi-species grasses and clover, and reduce dependence on chemical fertiliser. There are no specific targets set out, however.

The review of the maximum nitrate allowance – a bone of contention between the farming community and environmentalists – will not now happen until the first quarter of 2024.

The rehabilitation of Bord na Móna bogs will see a target of 11,000 hectares being restored in 2023, with a further 22,000 hectares to be rehabilitated by 2026.

The Maritime Area Regulatory Authority, which will have a key role in relation to the development of offshore wind power, will be established this year. According to the plan, the Government will also contribute €225 million annually from 2023 in climate finance to developing countries.