No doubt the mandarins at CIE will be watching the latest shenanigans over the projected costs of extending the Jubilee Underground line in London, with some interest. CIE has long bemoaned the lack of investment in petty little items such as rolling stock and railway infrastructure, citing them as reasons for what can amount to a service which is nothing short of dismal. Now that increasing numbers of people are being forced to move out of Dublin to places such as Longford and Portlaoise, the focus is once again on rail services. Then there is also the issue of costs associated with building part of the LUAS underground.

In London, officials at the Treasury are grappling with their own problems - extending the Jubilee line from Central London to Greenwich. The cost of it has soared by a further £300 million sterling (€441 million), to £3.3 billion. It will make it one of the world's most expensive transport projects. The current costings make it a staggering £330 million per mile for the 10-mile extension. Even the Channel Tunnel, at £320 million a mile, came in cheaper.