Cullen to present 10-year transport plan

The Government's long-awaited 10-year strategic transport plan, which will include extending the Luas system, reopening the western railway corridor in phases and a major rail package for the greater Dublin area, is to be brought to Cabinet for approval next Tuesday.

Minister for Transport Martin Cullen and transport officials yesterday briefed some Cabinet Ministers, sources said.

Minister for Finance Brian Cowen cleared the plan and it has the support in principle of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

The plan also includes the State's commitment of almost €10 billion to finish the inter-urban motorway programme in the next five years, while rail and public transport elements are likely to bring the total cost closer to €20 billion.

The transport plan is expected to be a major plank in the Government's manifesto for the next general election, due in 2007.

The Taoiseach, at an inspection trip to Dublin Port Tunnel recently, said the 10-year plan would run from 2007.

It envisages linking up the Luas lines in the centre of Dublin with extensions to Swords, the docklands and Cherrywood.

Further extensions to Citywest and Harold's Cross are understood to be less secure.

The Dublin airport metro is also included as are Iarnród Éireann's plans for a station at Spencer Dock, a rail interconnector linking Connolly and Heuston stations via Pearse Street, and the reopening of the Navan railway line as far as Dunboyne, Co Meath.

Further extensions of this route towards the end of the 10- year plan have not been completely ruled out.

Funding for the quadrupling of the Kildare route lines as far as Hazlehatch is also included.

In Cork the plan includes finance for the expansion of commuter services on the Mallow line and the reopening of commuter services on the Midleton line.

In the west the plan provides for the reopening of commuter services between Ennis and Galway, with a phased addition to Claremorris, Co Mayo, and possibly at a later date from Claremorris to Sligo.

In terms of the National Roads Programme, the 10-year strategic transport plan provides for the completion of the inter-urban motorway programme as well as improvements to inter-regional roads, particularly the western road corridor.

Some provision for the outer orbital motorway route around Dublin is included, although this will be built, probably as a public private partnership, in phases and would not be completed in 10 years.

It runs from Drogheda, through Navan, Trim and Kilcock to Naas but not as far as the east coast because of the position of the Wicklow mountains.

While Mr Cullen has repeatedly said there was no rift with the Department of Finance over the plan, finance officials have spent the last year "testing" the projected figures.