The Council for the West says public representatives must stop being "fobbed off" by the Government after an estimated €2 billion underspend in the Border, Midlands and Western (BMW) region.
A delegation from the council plans to brief TDs, senators and MEPs in Dublin next week over the underspend, which has contributed to a widening east-west infrastructural gap, according to its chairman, Seán Hannick.
The meeting will take place several days after an anticipated announcement by Minister for Transport Martin Cullen on the partial re-opening of the western rail corridor between Sligo and Limerick. The Council for the West said the rail corridor, which closed 30 years ago, is one element in a chain of projects requiring substantially increased support from the Government.
It is estimated it would cost €365 million to open the entire rail link, and some €170 million to open the section from Ennis, Co Clare, to Claremorris, Co Mayo, which would provide a commuter service to Galway city.
"Four years has elapsed in the current National Development Plan, and in the meantime some €22.8 billion has been spent in the South and East region and €8.3 billion in the BMW area," council chairman Mr Hannick said.
"Even more revealing, the South and East region spend represents 92 per cent of what was forecast in the NDP, but the BMW Region has only achieved 75 per cent of the projected spend."
The council would be asking public representatives to ensure that they were not being "fobbed off again" over what was promised in the NDP under EU guidelines, Mr Hannick said.
The Independent Mayo TD, Ms Beverley Flynn, has already criticised the underspend on the BMW region in the Dáil. This week she called on the Minister for Transport to state his "full commitment to the complete re-opening" of the Western Rail Corridor when he attends a conference on the issue in Castlebar, Co Mayo, tomorrow.
