We are now moving into fast lane - Ahern

Taoiseach's view: A "world-class transport system for the 21st century" is how the Government introduced the strategic transport plan yesterday.

Speaking as he introduced the strategy, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said it would "complete the transformation of Ireland's road and public transport systems for generations to come".

While Tánaiste Mary Harney said nobody could have foreseen the economic prosperity that had paved the way for the €34.4 billion investment, Mr Ahern said it had come about through the hard work of the Irish people and the skilful management of the economy by his Government.

While he left the details of the strategy to Minister for Transport Martin Cullen, Mr Ahern said the inclusion of western road and rail corridors, with strong regional airports, would develop a more regionally balanced transport system, in line with the 20-year national spatial strategy.

Mr Ahern described the amount of money involved as "huge", but said the planning and management of transport projects had been transformed with multi-annual funding and a range of other reforms.

"We are now getting better projects built faster to a higher standard and, crucially, on time and on budget," he said.

The railway network had been saved from "a slow but terminal decline", and his had been the first administration to take a realistic approach to urban public transport.

Economic success was achieved despite poor infrastructure. "We did not have the benefit of inherent wealth and resources like many of our European neighbours. For decades many Irish people emigrated in search of work. We were always going to be playing infrastructure catch-up because of that," Mr Ahern said.

In building a 21st-century transport system, the State had to "move from behind into the lead. With 'Transport 21' we are now moving into the fast lane."

For his part, Mr Cullen insisted yesterday's launch was "no wish list of individual projects".

It was an integrated solution to Ireland's current and evolving transport needs, he said.

Commenting on the cost of the plan, Mr Cullen said €24.6 billion would be funded by the Exchequer, with about €6 billion in public-private partnerships and €2 billion in revenue from existing tolls.

Public transport would receive about €16 billion of the total budget, he said.

Mr Cullen said that in recent years the Government had put in place the first sustained programme to develop the transport infrastructure of modern Ireland.

"In Transport 21 we are proposing to accelerate this further in order to deliver a transport infrastructure which supports economic activity across the nation and which enhances the life of every citizen," the Minister said.