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The Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan T.D. and Minister of State, Hildegarde Naughton T.D. have today announced details of a €35 billion investment package for our transport system – as part of the Government’s revised National Development Plan (NDP).
The Plan will transform how we travel, connect us to our communities and help us halve our greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
500,000 extra daily walking, cycling and public transport journeys will be delivered by 2030, making it easier for people to travel in a sustainable way. €360 million a year will support 1,000 km of new and improved walking and cycling infrastructure by 2025, as well as additional investment in greenways – the largest ever investment in active travel infrastructure.
BusConnects, including segregated cycleways, will be rolled out in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford while international connectivity will be supported through investment in ports and airports.
Increased investment in the inter-urban and regional rail network will improve journey times, enhance reliability and maintain safety across the system. MetroLink and Dart+ in Dublin will be progressed to construction.
Complementing public transport infrastructure investment, Connecting Ireland will deliver a dynamic approach to public transport in rural and regional areas, expanding local bus services and connecting rural communities with their key towns and regional growth centres.
As well as the protection and renewal of the network (100,000 km), major urban and regional roads projects will be progressed to delivery including the M50 Traffic Control Project and bypasses of Moycullen and Listowel. Other vital projects will be progressed including the N20/M20 corridor. Almost 1 million electric cars, supported by additional infrastructure, will be travelling on our roads by 2030.
Attending the launch of the NDP in Cork Minister Ryan said:
“This is a National Development Plan for a cleaner, greener, connected Ireland, a plan that supports communities and our climate goal – to cut emissions in half by 2030. We’re making the biggest investment in transport in the history of the state – 35 billion over the decade - which will transform how we travel.”
“This revised Plan re-orientates our investment toward greener, cleaner and more accessible transport. It means that for every euro we invest in new road infrastructure we’re investing twice as much in new public transport. In addition, we’re investing €360 million per year in walking and cycling infrastructure”.
“This record investment will deliver a transport system which improves our quality of life and provides us with greater choices to travel more efficiently and sustainably - be it by footpath, cycleway, road or rail, keeping us connected to our families, our workplaces and our communities. This will be a decade of change.”
Minister Naughton added:
“The revised NDP is about connecting people and businesses. Our road network is a vital part of that, particularly across rural Ireland. The NDP will result is a comprehensive and connected road network, linking all the regions of the country. These projects will be delivered progressively and deliver benefits steadily over the next decade”.
“We will also be focusing our investment on international connectivity and remain determined to build back better and stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic”.
ENDS
Exchequer Funded €35 billion – High Level Breakdown
• €11.6 billion will be allocated to new public transport infrastructure,
• €1bn will be allocated to specific carbon reduction measures, including the continued delivery on improved vehicle efficiencies, incentives to encourage the switch to Electric Vehicles, EV infrastructure, alternative fuels and demand management measures.
• €3.8 billion over 10 years will be allocated to public transport protection and renewal, including fleet renewal, helping public transport to make the transition, with rail and buses switching to electric across our urban fleets - greatly improving air quality in our towns and cities.
• BusConnects will be substantially delivered in all five cities across the country, massively expanding access to public transport and radically improving cycling infrastructure. On rural and regional bus services, around €350m will be invested in renewing and expanding fleets across the country.
• In rail, the NDP will support major transport-led developments in Galway, Limerick and Waterford, as well as an increase investment in expanding commuter rail infrastructure and services in Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.
• In Dublin, DART+ and MetroLink will be the largest investment programme in the rail network and the largest ever public investment project in the history of the State respectively. National and regional rail will benefit from increased investment over the period – improving journey times, enhancing reliability and maintaining safety across the network.
• By 2030, 500,000 more additional daily journeys are taken by foot, on a bike or on expanded public transport services across the country.
• Continued and steady spend of nearly €1 million per day across the whole of Government for the delivery of nationwide walking and cycling infrastructure, including Greenways, amounting to €3.6 billion over 10 years. This will support circa 1,200 walking and cycling projects in our cities, towns and villages, delivering nearly 1,000km of new and improved infrastructure to 2025. An additional 248 staff across our local authorities to help ensure these projects are delivered and that they meet the needs of the communities they serve.
• The NDP will enable a spend of €8 billion on the protection and renewal of national, regional and local roads over the 10-year period until 2030 and a further €1 billion on PPP payments. The NDP will continue to support the development and maintenance of the road network of approximately 100,000km, which is vital to ensuring the safe and efficient travel of all road users across the country.
• €5.8 billion will be spent on new road investment including €675 million on new regional and local roads over the next 10 years. This will facilitate the provision of a number of bypasses including Athy, Killaloe, Athenry, Tralee Northern Relief Road and an Eastern Garavogue Bridge in Sligo which is part of the Cranmore regeneration project. We are also investing in major new national road projects to provide for regional connectivity and compact urban growth, including the Dunkettle interchange upgrade in Co. Cork.
• €230m on Aviation and Maritime Safety and Security
Non-Exchequer State Funded
• Port companies will invest almost €500m over the next five years to ensure increased capacity to safeguard and enhance our maritime connectivity which is crucial to the Irish economy. A number of ports are also progressing plans for infrastructure to facilitate the Offshore Renewable Energy sector for delivery over the coming years as well as focusing on ways to reduce energy usage and carbon emissions.
• The Plan also encourages a move towards carbon neutrality for all Irish airports by investment in sustainability projects. Over the decade, €2.4bn will be invested across our State and regional Airports to ensure the necessary infrastructure is in place to safeguard and enhance our international connectivity while contributing to ambitious targets on climate.