The Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey today launched the Transport 21 Second Annual Progress Report for 2007.

A major highlight of the report was that spending on public transport, at €640m increased by 82% over 2006.

Further progress also took place on road building with over 600 kilometres of the planned 738 kilometres of Major Inter-Urban Routes (MIUs[1]) now either open to traffic or under construction. The NRA remains on target to complete the MIUs in 2010.

A total of €2.8bn was spent on Transport 21 in 2007 an increase of 46% on 2006. In the ten-year lifetime of Transport 21, from 2006-2015, €108 per second is being spent to transform Ireland's transport infrastructure.

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Cumulative expenditure in the two years since Transport 21 began was €4.7bn.

According to the Annual Report, expenditure on national roads was €2.2 billion and on public transport was €640.4m. The estimated expenditure provision for 2008 is €986m, representing a further year on year increase of 54%. This indicates the overall commitment in Transport 21 to delivering real public transport solutions throughout Ireland.

Minister Dempsey said: "Transport 21 is delivering tangible benefits increased public transport facilities, more services, shorter travel times and greater connectivity between the regions.

"At €34bn, this is the largest coordinated transport infrastructure project in Irish history. It encompasses trains, trams, buses and roads, and it is delivering new projects from 2006 to 2015, in every part of the country," he added.

"This is Progress in Motion and everybody will benefit from the social and economic benefits of Transport 21 projects," concluded the Minister.

(VB/JM)