The target dates for completion of projects under Transport 21 are "indicative" rather than an accurate indication of the time they will be finished, Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey said today.
However, he said his focus was on completing all projects in the €34 billion, 10-year plan on time by 2015.
Investment in public transport is to increase by 54 per cent to €986m this year, according to the Transport 21 annual report published today. This follows an 82 per cent increase in public transport spending last year.
The annual report showed €108 per second is due to be spent on transport infrastructure over the lifetime of Transport 21. Some €2.8bn was spent last year - an increase of 46 per cent on 2006 - and around €3 billion is due to be spent this year.
"2007 saw a considerable increase in investment in public transport delivering increased capacity on Luas, buses and suburban and intercity trains, a new train station at Dublin's Docklands and perhaps more importantly, on the start of construction of a number of major rail projects," Mr Dempsey said.
This year investment will lead to more intercity railcars and a new traincare depot in Portlaoise.
Work will also begin on the reopening of the Midleton line in Co Cork, the Dublin city centre resignalling project increasing capacity on the city centre and the Maynooth line.
And there will be will be continued works on the Kildare line upgrade and the Luas extensions to Cherrywood and Docklands. The Citywest extension may also get underway this year.
Roads accounted for €2.2 billion in spending last year and is due to be held at a slightly reduced level this year.
Some 600 km of the planned 738 km of major inter-urban routes (MIUs) linking Dublin with the State's other cities are open or under construction and the National Roads Authority (NRA) is on target for a completion date of 2010, according to the report.
Meanwhile, Labour Party agriculture spokesman Sean Sherlock said farmers were not being paid on time for land acquired for transport projects.
He said an agreement between the NRA and the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) stated payment should be made within 30 days of deal for the acquisition of the land.
"All too often, this is being dragged out for weeks, months, or even years ... As it stands at the moment, landowners have little or no comeback if payment is delayed," Mr Sherlock said.
He called for a review of the agreement with a view to putting on a statutory basis which could include penalties for the NRA for late payments.