At a glance: How €35bn transport fund will be spent
The Government said its €35 billion investment in the transport system will transform how the country travels and halve Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Public transport will get €12 billion in funding, with road projects receiving €6 billion and walking and cycling routes receiving €4 billion.
While the MetroLink and DART+ are included in the plan, there are no completion dates, stating that they will be “progressed to construction”.
The investment, as part of the Government’s revised National Development Plan (NDP), will see an additional 500,000 walking, cycling and public transport journeys delivered by the end of the decade.
The Government has pledged that the plan will add some 1,000km of new walking and cycling infrastructure in the next four years.
The NDP will see BusConnects rolled out in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford, while around €350 million will be spent on renewing and expanding rural and regional buses.
The Government also said investment in the inter-urban and regional rail network will improve journey times and enhance reliability.
Meanwhile, the Government has committed to ensuring there are almost one million electric cars travelling on Irish roads by 2030, contributing to a 51% reduction in emissions by 2030.
Around €1 billion will be allocated to specific carbon reduction measures, including incentives to encourage the switch to electric vehicles, EV infrastructure, alternative fuels and demand management measures.
Some €3.8 billion will be spent on public transport protection and renewal, including fleet renewal, with rail and buses switching to electric across urban fleets.
The Government has also pledged to spend €1 million per day for walking and cycling infrastructure, which is set to support around 1,200 walking and cycling projects in cities, towns and villages.
Some €5.8 billion is to 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.
The plan will also invest in major new national road projects to provide for regional connectivity and compact urban growth, including the Dunkettle interchange upgrade in Co Cork.
Source: RTE
