Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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Transport 21 aimed to develop Ireland's transport system, by significantly expanding capacity, increasing integration, enhancing quality, increasing accessibility and ensuring sustainability. The programme proposed to achieve these aims through various objectives including the completion of the inter-urban motorway network and improvements to the rest of the national roads network; the transformation of the public transport network in Dublin and the improvement of regional and rural public transport systems.

As the Deputy is aware substantial progress has been made since 2006 on the various Transport 21 projects included in these objectives:

· The five major inter-urban motorways, the M50 upgrade and the M3 motorway from Clonee to North of Kells have been completed.

· The Cork-Midleton line and the first phases of the Western Rail Corridor and the Navan line have been completed.

· The Kildare railway line has been upgraded and a number of new Dublin suburban stations have opened.

· The Luas Docklands and Cherrywood extensions have opened and City West is due to open in quarter 2 this year.

· The Irish Rail fleet has been renewed and over 500 buses have been purchased.

Due to the changed economic circumstances, resulting in reduced capital allocations for transport investment over the coming years, it will now not be possible to complete all of the remaining projects originally identified in Transport 21 by 2015. However to date no projects have been cancelled and planning and design will continue so that projects can commence as funding becomes available. The National Recovery Plan sets out the revised capital allocations for transport for the next 4 years, totalling over €4.8 billion.