Transport 21

Amid much fanfare Minster for Transport Martin "I make Mohammad Ali seem Humble" Cullen unleashed TRANSPORT 21 A 21 century transport system for a 21st century country or something like that. With a budget of €34 billion this is the largest investment in the states history. To put it in context that is €7000 per person. Or 5 times per person the Americans spend on the war in Iraq. So this better be good. And on paper it looks O.K

__€9.4million per day for transport for the next 10-years __175 million extra public transport users __75 million extra suburban rail passengers __City Centre to Dublin Airport in 17 minutes by Metro __80,000 more bus passengers per day __80 million Luas and Metro passengers per annum __7 new Luas projects __Dublin rail journeys – DART, Luas, Metro, Suburban – in zero or one change of train __Doubling of Park & ride sites in Dublin to 74 __70kms of QBC in Cork __187 new rail carriages __A train on the hour from Dublin to Cork __A train every hour at peak from Dublin to Galway __A train every hour at peak from Dublin to Limerick __A train every two hours off peak from Dublin to Galway __A train every hour off peak from Dublin to Limerick __A train every two hours from Dublin to Sligo __A train every two hours from Dublin to Tralee __A train every two hours from Dublin to Waterford __Four trains a day from Dublin to Westport, Ballina and Rosslare __Train service from Ennis to Claremorris __GALWAY: Commuter train service every day from Athenry to Galway City __CORK: Commuter train service every day from Midleton to Cork City __CORK: Commuter train service every day from Mallow, Blarney, Dunkettle and Kilbarry to Cork City __€9m per annum for Rural Transport Initiative, serving 500,000 passengers plus __A saving of up to 39 minutes by car from Dublin to Galway __A saving of up to 41 minutes by car from Dublin to Cork __A saving of up to 56 minutes by car from Dublin to Waterford __A saving of up to 17 minutes by car from Dublin to Limerick __850kms of dual carriageway, 2+1 and single carriageway roads __Atlantic Corridor: Connecting the Gateways of Letterkenny, Sligo, Galway, Limerick, Cork and Waterford

But a few things bug me about it heres ten. 1. the Atlantic corridor has no time of compleation. So is this part of the €34 billion spend at all. Or is this just to keep the voters in the west happy. 2. The new Docklands station at Spencer dock is a major part of this scheme. Yet in Mr Cullen's own words "the St. Stephen’s Green Station will be to Dublin what Grand Central is to New York – integrating all services at a central City Centre location. so what is the need of this new station. If all train, metro, LUAS services are going to run to this "Grand Station" surely this means that a new docklands station is not needed. Unless this grand station is not as Grand as he makes out. 3. The western rail corridor. By 2014 the rail link from Ennis to Sligo will have got as far as Claremorris. Seemingly CIE consider it possible to upgrade (as the line is already there just in very bad repair) in 3 years. Yet according to this it will take more then 10. Why? 4. Why is there no LUAS line going towards much of South Dublin. Are they to rich to need public transport or something. 5. How come there is no increase of cross border train lines to exotic places like Derry. Or even linking Donegal and Derry with decent roads. 6. How come there is little talk or commuter trains to the third largest city in the state Limerick its not like the Limerick transport system is any good. Will the entire Limerick ring road be built including the tunnel under the Shannon 7. Also how come other then Dublin and Knock airports there are no plans to add rail lines to the major airports. (Cork, Shannon, Galway) some are not the far from existing lines. 8. Why not increase the amount of trains on the train line between the 2 largest cities on this Island Dublin and Belfast. 9. Will all the new roads be tolled. 10. With 175 million extra public transport users does he think immigration is going to increase that much.