£1.58 bn transport spending for Dublin

The public transport element of the Government's National Development Plan concludes that public transport investment on a scale "never before contemplated" is necessary for the greater Dublin region.

It also concludes that decades of neglect must be redressed by investment to improve service and accessibility of public transport in the regions.

The £1.585 billion investment in public transport in the Dublin region includes:

The deployment of Luas as approved by Government in May 1998.

The purchase of 46 new DART and 58 new diesel railcars, with 275 buses and the creation of an additional five new quality bus corridors.

The upgrading of the rail line between Arklow and Greystones.

The creation of four lines between Hazelhatch and Sallins in Co Kildare to enable commuter rail traffic to be separated from national traffic.

A contingency fund of £500 million to cover the underground section of Luas, but also some outer suburban services currently being evaluated. These include the reopening of the Navan line and a rail link from the Belfast line through the airport to the western lines.

Provision of new stations at Barrow Street in Dublin city, and at Intel, Lucan and Ashington on the Maynooth line.

New orbital bus routes and local routes.

Transport integration measures including direct ticketing and park-and-ride facilities.

£200 million for traffic management measures and a demand management strategy to be devised by the Dublin Transportation Office.

The National Development Plan's section on regional public transport will see just under £700 million being spent on the following:

£350 million on the completion of the rail safety programme, 1999-2003.

£150 million on mainline rail renewal.

Improvements in urban public transport in Galway, Limerick, Cork and Waterford. Improvements in rural bus services. An investment of £75 million in 450 new buses.

Measures to encourage rural public transport initiatives with a pilot fund of £500,000.

Accessibility improvements to existing public transport infrastructure to allow greater access by the disabled.

New and upgraded bus and rail stations.

Investment in the Cobh and Mallow commuter lines, with the extension of the Cork commuter network to include Midleton.

Target date of end 2000 for completion of high-standard service allowing speeds of between 70 m.p.h. and 90 m.p.h. on the Tralee, Sligo and Galway and Waterford rail lines. Work on the Belfast and Cork lines to allow speeds of up to 100 m.p.h.

The provision of 20 new mainline rail cars.

Safety improvements at more than 530 level crossings, bridges and tunnels.

The National Development Plan also envisages investment in the completion of Dublin's Cring motorway and the port tunnel by 2004.

Meanwhile, the Government is considering how competition may best be introduced on bus routes in the capital. The Government decided last week on the ending of the virtual monopoly of Dublin Bus, the Tanaiste, Ms Harney, said in a Today FM radio interview.