FF transport plan includes regional Luas lines and bus-trams

Proposals to develop Luas and bus-based trams in regional cities, to run Dublin's metro north underground through Ballymun, and to increase borrowing limits for the Dublin Airport Authority were put forward by Minister for Transport Martin Cullen yesterday.

Launching Fianna Fáil's policy document on transport, Mr Cullen also said it included a commitment to proceed with the Government's transport strategy, Transport 21, which he described as "my brainchild".

While Opposition spokeswomen on transport said Mr Cullen should be judged on what they insisted were his past failures, the Minister said whatever government was in power this year, Transport 21 would go ahead because it had received "substantial approval" from most parities.

Mr Cullen said a return of Fianna Fáil to office would see the government asking city authorities in Cork, Limerick and Galway to bring forward proposals for the development of Luas systems in tandem with the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA).

He commended the model used by Fingal County Council to secure an extension of metro north to Swords.

The local authority, in co-operation with the RPA and local property interests, had presented him with a development case "to which there was only one answer".

In the Fingal model property developers who were guaranteed higher density development by proximity to the railway - and so greater profits - were required to commit development levies to part-fund the metro system.

For its part, the local authority committed to drafting its development plan in a way that made the railway central to where people would live, work and how they would travel to work.

Mr Cullen said it was "a big ask" of the city authorities in Cork, Limerick and Galway to bring forward such plans, but the RPA would work with them.

Mr Cullen also revealed a system of "bus-trams" or "streetcars", which were "popular in the US, Canada and some European cities" being considered by Bus Éireann for introduction in regional cities.

These are essentially tram "lookalikes" but powered by diesel or biodiesel engines.

The bus-trams or streetcars have much lower initial costs than a tram as well as lower operating costs.

Bus Éireann is in discussions with Wrights of Ballymena in Northern Ireland on leasing a prototype for use in some regional cities which could go into operation in six months' time.

In Dublin, Mr Cullen said a decision had already been taken to route metro north underground at Ballymun, at a cost of under €200 million.

It had been previously proposed that the metro would run at ground level through Ballymun main street, an issue which was likely to become a significant general election issue in the area.

In the aviation sector, Mr Cullen announced the Government had approved the raising of limits on borrowing available to the Dublin Airport Authority to €1.8 billion. The current limit is €700 million.

Mr Cullen's initiatives were criticised by Opposition spokeswomen Olivia Mitchell of Fine Gael and Róisín Shortall of Labour.

While Ms Shortall welcomed Mr Cullen's "U-turn" on the Ballymun line, she said the "victory" was on the part of local residents.

Ms Mitchell said "Calamity Cullen" was in charge of a roads plan that had run more than €12 billion over budget. Before he could be trusted we should take a look at his earlier efforts.

FF transport policy proposals: main points

A commitment to run metro north underground through Ballymun.

Luas systems in Cork, Limerick and Galway, subject to feasibility studies and based on a public-private partnership model.

Testing of "lookalike" bus trams (above) or streetcars in regional cities such as Waterford and Galway.

A commitment to increase the Dublin Airport Authority's borrowing permission from the current €700 million to €1.8 billion