More than €22 billion will be spent on major transport projects over the next five years. It is being billed as one of the largest investment packages in Irish transport history.

But questions remain over whether the plan truly aligns with both Ireland’s climate and infrastructure needs.

On Newstalk Breakfast, Ciara Kelly spoke to Professor Brian Caulfield of Trinity College Dublin and Fine Gael TD Michael Murphy, chairman of the Transport Committee, to debate the plan’s strengths, and where this huge investment may fall short. 

Concerns over capacity and climate targets

Professor Brian Caulfield welcomed the ambition but questioned whether Ireland has the capacity to spend such a large sum in just five years:

“It is a huge amount of money. I’d have questions over whether we have the capacity to do that," he said.

He also raised concerns around the shift in spending priorities, noting that the 2:1 ratio in favor of public transport, originally proposed by the Green Party and linked to recommendations from the 2017 Citizens’ Assembly on climate change, has now gone:

"It's about 1:2 to 1 in spending on favour of public transport over roads,” he told Ciara.

While plans include a Dart-style rail system for Cork and progress on some Dublin projects, Caulfield warned that developments have also been pushed back, including the Dart Southwest project which already has planning permission but likely won’t begin construction until the 2030s.

He also highlighted a lack of ambition for the Luas:

“The only Luas that’s going to be funded until the next decade is a 4km extension to Finglas.”

Transport Committee chairman Michael Murphy TD rejected the criticism and defended the strategy:

“This is an extraordinary investment, probably the largest in the history of the state.”

He outlined the breakdown of the funding, which includes €10 billion for public transport, just under €10 billion for roads and €2 billion for active travel and aviation.

Murphy said he wants to see “shovels in the ground” and insisted oversight will be essential to ensure delivery.

But when Ciara asked whether allocating almost half the budget to roads is the best use of public funds, Murphy argued road investment is necessary:

“We need to invest in roads for congestion. Look at the M4 between Cork and Waterford, the amount of congestion. I don’t see an issue [with road spending].”

Regional focus

Ciara also questioned whether the West was receiving the majority share of funding, with Donegal alone set to receive up to €1 billion for new roads. Murphy denied any regional favouritism:

“We’re seeing investment in Westmeath, Wexford, Limerick, Kerry - it’s not just the west," he added.

But Professor Caulfield insisted a major question remains unanswered:

“How many of these road projects are in compliance with the Climate Action Act?" he questioned.

"I suspect that some of these motorways and some of these roads...will have a judicial review in terms of climate."

Written by Annemarie Roberts