Radical changes to the Government's latest Metro plans for Dublin are needed if they are going to work, the Green Party has said.
Extensions are needed from Dublin Airport to Swords, St Stephen's Green to Harcourt Street and out as far as Leopardstown, according to the party's spokesman on transport, Mr Eamon Ryan.
"It's crazy not to continue from Stephen's Green on to Harcourt Street when they'll have the tunnelling machine underground, it'll be a missed opportunity," Mr Ryan told The Irish Times last night.
Latest Government proposals foresee an over-ground line from the airport to the city centre with an underground section running from the Royal Canal to St Stephen's Green.
Mr Ryan claims the extra cost of lengthening the underground line from St Stephen's Green to Harcourt Street would "not be significant" and would mean southside suburbs could benefit from the Metro service.
An extension from the airport line to Swords would "free up thousands of commuters from having to drive to and from work each day", he said.
The party also proposed extending the Metro to residential areas in Cherrywood and Leopardstown Valley and upgrading the Luas simultaneously.
The Department of Transport said last night the Metro between the airport and the city centre was its "priority issue".
It would be built in phases and the overall plan would "still envisage linking Swords to the airport and St Stephen's Green to Shanganagh", a spokesman said.
The Department of Transport stressed funding would not be a difficulty and that the Rail Procurement Agency had already received "expressions of interest from a dozen or so consortia".