The Minister for Transport, Mr Cullen, has raised the possibility of a commuter rail link to Navan in the opening salvo of a by-election campaign where transport looks set to be a central issue.
Meeting local interest groups and business leaders in the county, Mr Cullen said he is closing in on a rail infrastructure deal for Meath commuters and that a "Meath-Dublin Rail connection stands on its own merits".
In 2003, consultants for the Government's strategic rail review concluded there was no economic case for reopening the entire Dublin to Navan line.
Mr Cullen said that his Department is studying the recently completed Irish Rail feasibility study which examined providing a spur off the Maynooth line to service towns like Clonsilla and Dunboyne.
However, he said any rail link would need to also serve Navan town.
"The next step is to progress beyond the feasibility study stage and develop concrete proposals," said Mr Cullen.
"Any proposal must be detailed and evaluated in business case terms. The decision has got to gel with future development plans in the county."
Despite raising the possibility of a rail link Mr Cullen said there was still a requirement to press ahead with the M3, despite concerns over the impact it might have on the Hill of Tara.
"The current situation where many Meath people are spending four hours a day, 120 working days a year in traffic is unacceptable.
"This is strangling the local economy and damaging quality of life."
Mr Vincent Salafia, spokesperson for the Save Tara Skryne Valley Group said his group had been calling for a rail since it started its campaign against the current route of the M3.
He described Mr Cullen's comments as electioneering and criticised him for not meeting groups opposed to the M3 route.
"It doesn't take much sense to figure out that a rail link is needed," said Mr Salafia. "At the end of the day Fianna Fail would do anything to win this election."