A European transport campaign group says the €350 million loan from the European Investment Bank to expand Dublin Airport is a waste of money.

The people of Ireland would prefer better public transport rather than simply expanding Dublin airport again, says Andrew Murphy from Transport and Environment.

Brussels-based Transport and Environment says the bank's priorities are badly skewed, and it should concentrate on financing trams, trains and buses instead of motorways and airports.

"If people are stuck in crowded buses or stuck in traffic congestion, they will wonder."

It questions the priorities of the government and the questions the priorities of the EIB, says Murphy.

Ireland became the second country in the world to declare a climate and biodiversity emergency earlier this year.

In addition to better public transport being a preferable scene for Irish commuters, the investment in low carbon transport is preferable for national climate objectives.

Andrew Murphy from Transport and Environment says the government could have done much better with the same sum.

The 20-year loan is the bank's largest ever investment in the transport sector in Ireland.