New 100 m.p.h. rail services between Dublin and Cork and between Dublin and Belfast, a four-track rail link between Dublin and Kildare and an additional 37,000-seat capacity in the Dublin area are included in the public transport element of the National Development Plan.
The plan proposes an investment of £2.3 billion, almost £300 million more than the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, indicated she was hoping for. In the greater Dublin area alone, £1.585 billion is to be allocated for public transport. This will include new railway lines, suburban stations, DART and diesel rail cars, the Luas light-rail system, new buses and 17 quality bus corridors.
The number of new buses in the capital will increase by 275, boosting the fleet by 28 per cent and providing 22,000 additional seats daily, while new DART cars will increase daily seating capacity by 7,400. New diesel cars will provide an increase of 7,800 seats.
As expected, the investment includes £430 million for the surface element of Luas, with a contingency fund of £500 million set aside for the underground section and future development of the outer suburban services.
The plan addresses the need for integrated public transport in Dublin and provides £50 million for this. A total of £200 million is set aside for traffic management in Dublin, £650 million for regional public transport and £50 million for upgrading urban bus services in regional cities.
A £500 million provision is included for mainline rail improvements, with £350 million allocated for completion of the rail safety programme by 2003.
