The full Navan rail line will be built and open for business by 2016, despite a massive cutback in the Irish Government's spending.

The Daíl Transport Minister has insisted that the line will be constructed on schedule, even though the commuter line was not listed as a key priority in the Government's revised capital spending plan.

Mr Dempsey insisted the €400m needed to build the line would be made available as soon as the project secured planning permission.

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He said that only a change of government - or minister - would make the commuter line hit the buffers.

He said the money will come from the capital programme up to 2016 and explained that the project is now at Railway Order (planning permission) stage.

"As soon as that's completed, the money will be available," he added.

Much work has already been done with the first phase of the line from Dunboyne to the Dublin Docklands set to open in September.

The line runs from the M3 Parkway station at Pace in Co Meath to Dunboyne, a distance of 2.5km, before linking with the Maynooth service to Connolly Station at Clonsilla, 5km away.

That has been built at a cost of €105m with the first trains already being tested in early August.

The second phase will run from Dunboyne to Navan, a distance of 34km, and planning permission is being sought for that stage at present.

(BMcC)