THE Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar, has given the green light for an ambitious five-year transport plan for the Greater Dublin area.
It’s full steam ahead for the Luas Cross City works as the Phoenix Park tunnel is set to re-open alongside a new Bus Rapid Transit network that has been given the go-ahead in principle.
The minister was joined by Alan Kelly, the Minister for Public and Commuter Transport and Gerry Murphy, the Chief Executive of the National Transport Authority, at the launch of the NTA’s Integrated Implementation Plan 2013-2018 at the Rosie Hackett Bridge, which will take south-bound trams across the Liffey when the Luas Cross City opens for operations in 2017.
Minister Varadkar explained that as the economy picks up and traffic levels rise, it was vital to continue to invest in public transport to keep Dublin and the surrounding counties moving.
“A return to congestion could seriously undermine our recovery and stunt economic and employment growth as well as reducing our quality of life,
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“This important plan shows how the Government will improve public transport through targeted investment, and by making better use of existing infrastructure.
“The plan shows that there is a lot that we can do, even when resources remain limited.
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The Integrated Implementation Plan sets out the authority’s programme of investment and development in the Greater Dublin Area (Dublin, Meath, Kildare, and Wicklow) for the next five years.
It has been statutorily approved by Minister Varadkar and provides the framework for a capital and operational investment amounting to almost e900 million.
Funding up to 2016 is included as part of the Government’s overall capital plan and funding for the remaining years of 2017 and 2018 will be addressed in the next national capital investment plan.
Key priorities in the plan include the re-opening of the Phoenix Park Tunnel link to improve rail access for people travelling between Kildare and the city centre, the annual purchase of new buses to improve the experience of passengers, and the delivery of Luas Cross City.
Also, within the period of the plan the proposed Bus Rapid Transit Network will be designed in detail and brought through the requisite statutory processes.