Transport targets will not be met

NONE OF the five key Transport 21 projects due for completion this year will meet their deadline, despite Government spending set to reach almost €8 billion by December.

In all, 13 of the 39 projects in Transport 21 have had their completion dates put back, the Second Transport 21 Annual Report confirmed yesterday.

Launching the report, Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey said he was "unconcerned" by the missed deadlines, remarking that the original dates - which were announced in 2005 as "completion dates" - had in fact been merely "indicative dates".

Mr Dempsey said spending on public transport would rise to €1 billion in 2008 - compared to €20 million 10 years ago.

The cumulative spend on Transport 21 in 2006 and 2007 was €4.7 billion. Spending this year was estimated to be in the region of €3 billion.

He said he was not concerned if he "had to move some projects around", adding the moves represented "no major slippage".

The five key projects listed for completion this year were the Luas link line in Dublin city centre, Luas extensions to the Docklands and Citywest and railway lines from Cork to Midleton and from Ennis to Athenry.

Of these, just two have been assigned new completion dates - the Luas lines to the Docklands and Citywest, which are 2009 and 2010 respectively.

But the annual report was unable to specify dates for the completion of the Luas city centre link, or the Midleton or Ennis to Athenry lines. The other eight projects that have been assigned new completion dates are:

• The Portlaoise train depot, which is now to be ready in 2008 instead of 2007;

• The metro west phases, which have been moved as a single project for completion in 2014;

• The Limerick southern ring road, which will be completed in 2010 and not 2009;

• The M3, which also moves from 2009 to 2010;

• The N25, which moves from 2009 to 2010;

• Resignalling Dublin city centre rail services, now 2010 rather than 2009;

• Phase one of the Navan railway line is being moved from 2009 to 2010;

• Metro North is now scheduled for 2013 instead of 2012.

Mr Dempsey also announced another review of Dublin Bus operations, for which he expects to appoint consultants in the near future. The review follows an examination of Dublin Bus routes initiated by his predecessor, Martin Cullen.

Mr Dempsey also said he "could not guarantee" that the capacity of the proposed Metro North was sufficient to meet population forecasts. He had been assured by the line's developers that it was, and while he acknowledged there were industry concerns about the issue, "the time for consultation and talking is finished", he said.