Rail Upgrade Postponed by FF and Greens

Among the many cut backs hidden in Minister Lenihan’s crisis budget are two key transport projects for Dublin 15 that have been postponed indefinitely. These include:

• Resignalling the Maynooth Line to increase capacity

• Replacement of the level crossings at Coolmine, Clonsilla and Ashtown.

• Metro West has also been shelved.

Postponing these projects will heap further misery on hard pressed commuters.
With the Dunboyne rail line due to come on track, there will be traffic chaos at level crossings without a new signalling system. The failure to progress electrification of the Maynooth line will be a huge disappointment to commuters who have been waiting for a DART style service for years. The shelving of Metro West is a huge disappointment to the development of jobs in West Dublin and it will leave all those who commute north and south every day with no alternative but to drive.

Other announcements included cuts in proposals for Integrated Ticketing and withdrawing the €5m million provision for park and ride schemes. Instead of taking the tough political decisions on CIE, the Fianna Fáil/Green government have gone for the soft easy political options. This approach signals why Irish transport infrastructure is doomed to languish behind our European neighbours for years to come.