Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

Transport 21 is primarily about connectivity. As the Deputy will be aware, there has been substantial investment in recent years in upgrading the national roads network in the Limerick, Shannon and Ennis region. Major projects completed include the Limerick southern ring road, phase 1, the N20 and N21 Adare-Limerick and N18 Newmarket-on-Fergus bypass. The N19 to Shannon has also been upgraded. These projects have greatly enhanced the access from Limerick city and its hinterland to Shannon Airport.

Transport 21 will go much further and widen this access to the surrounding cities and regions by upgrading the transport links between Limerick and its neighbouring cities, towns and regions, thereby further enhancing access to Shannon Airport. In particular, the completion of the major inter-urban motorway programme under Transport 21 will provide a motorway between Limerick and Dublin, as well as linking other towns such as Nenagh, Roscrea and Portlaoise with Limerick by motorway. The development of the Atlantic corridor and the upgrading of the N24 will result in greatly improved road connections between Limerick, Cork, Galway, Sligo and Waterford as well as improving links between Limerick and intermediate towns such as Mallow, Tipperary and Tuam. The upgrading of other key national primary routes such as the N21 and N22, and of national secondary routes such as the N67, N68, N69 and N85, will facilitate easier accessibility to Shannon Airport from towns such as Tralee, Killarney and the coastal towns of Clare.

Transport 21 provides for the phased reopening of the western rail corridor. In addition, a study on a rail link from the Limerick-Ennis line to Shannon Airport is also being carried out to assess the feasibility of linking the airport by rail to the cities of Limerick, Galway and beyond. Hourly peak and two hourly off-peak rail services will be introduced on the Limerick-Dublin route once new rail cars on order enter into service.

The improved transport network under Transport 21 will facilitate easier access to Shannon Airport by providing greater connectivity between Limerick city and other cities, towns and regions. Transport 21 will widen the catchment area of Shannon Airport and provide more direct, more reliable, and quicker access directly to Shannon and Shannon Airport.

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