Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

The leader of Fine Gael described current investment in Luas as a waste of time and a project that would never be realised. Dublin Fine Gael Deputies are singing a different tune today and are repeating the old nonsense they spoke prior to the Luas coming into operation for people in this gay capital city of ours.

Budget 2006 represents the commencement of the €34.4 billion investment in Transport 21. That programme will dramatically increase the choices available to transport users, enhance the ability of businesses to efficiently transport their goods and contribute to balanced regional development, as envisioned in the national spatial strategy and the regional planning guidelines. Most importantly, Transport 21 is about connectivity. It provides the basis for an integrated transport network, particularly for the greater Dublin area.

The availability of a ten-year funding framework has given us a unique opportunity to set out in Transport 21 a long-term investment programme for an integrated transport system. That investment will not come cheaply because the bill for Transport 21 will amount to a staggering €34.4 billion. However, the pay-off will be a complete and welcome transformation of our transport system, not only for this generation but for those to come.

Transport 21 will also provide for major investment in our regional airports, which have an important complementary role to play in promoting regional integration. Traffic to regional airports amounted to 1 million passengers in 2004. Regional airports can have a role to play in encouraging inward investment and tourism. Budget 2006 outlines an injection of additional investment in our regional airports. In 2006, €15 million is being allocated for capital grants to these airports, an €11 million increase in one year.

Budget 2006 ensures that Transport 21 gets off to an excellent start. The year ahead will see the continued roll-out of the motorway programme, construction of more bypasses across the country, the building of the new docklands railway station, the start of a process which will see the reopening of the western rail corridor, the Kildare rail routes, DART upgrading and the delivery of new rolling stock.

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