?10bn to be spent on motorways

The State is to spend up to €10 billion on motorways in the next five years -€2 billion more than previously planned. This presents a challenge to the future of the railways, the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, told Iarnród Eireann yesterday.

Launching a new telephone text service which will tell commuters the time of the next DART at any station, the Minister said the application of technology was one of the things which could ensure the survival of trains.

In addition to the €10 billion on motorways, the Minister confirmed he is to sanction another €200 million immediately to upgrade four inter-urban single-carriageway routes to "two plus one" routes.

The two plus one road is essentially a three-lane carriageway which involves two lanes in one direction and one in the opposite direction. The two-lane section, which provides a safe overtaking zone, alternates with a one-lane section at intervals of about two km.

Traffic travelling in opposite directions will be separated by a crash barrier. The aim is to reduce the number of head-on collisions with the potential of halving the death toll on ordinary single-carriageway roads.

Commenting on the system yesterday, Mr Brennan said it was a "great initiative". He said "it works elsewhere; it is cheaper than doing fully-fledged motorways which you can't do between every urban area".

The National Roads Authority (NRA) is to begin immediately on four pilot schemes. These are the N20 Rathduff to Mallow road in Co Cork; the N2 Clontibret to Castleblayney, Co Monaghan; and the N15 Ballybofey route in Co Donegal. The fourth scheme expected to be in Co Leitrim is to be announced shortly.

A further programme to roll out these type of roads across the State could cost up to €750 million. The NRA said the two plus one road system operates in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Germany, and it was felt it could be useful in the Republic because "fatal head-on collisions are the single biggest fatal accident type (37 per cent) on National Primary Roads.

"Right-turning movements will be at controlled junctions, and a reduction of head-on collisions is anticipated."

Turning to investment in railways, the Minister said the State would be investing almost €3 billion in rail over the next five years, and the use of technology and customer-oriented services were ways Iarnród Éireann could face the challenge from the motorways.

He said he particularly welcomed the company's introduction of the text service as most people now had mobile phones.

Intending passengers text DART followed by their station name, for example DART Pearse, to number 53700, and the service replies with the times of the next trains leaving the station in both directions.

Congratulating Iarnród Éireann on the introduction of the service, Mr Brennan said he was asking the company "to press on with the use of technology for on-line booking, text messaging, real-time information and all those applications of technology".

He particularly singled out on-line seat booking, saying "you don't have overcrowded aeroplanes, you shouldn't have overcrowded trains".

He added: "The days have to be gone when more people turn up than we need on a train; they prefer to know they can't get on so they can make other arrangements".