April 2006

Delivery of Transport 21 
Since the March 2006 progress report, the following developments have taken place:

Luas

• On 25 April 2006, the Minister for Transport published the Report of the Inspector who conducted the Public Inquiry into the application by the Railway Procurement Agency for a Railway Order for the Sandyford to Cherrywood Luas extension. The report recommends that the Railway Order be granted subject to certain conditions. The Minister is required by law to consider the report and other relevant documentation and will make his decision on the application for a Railway Order shortly.

Heavy Rail

• Iarnród Éireann has received planning permission from Laois County Council for a new traincare depot to be built in Portlaoise. Construction is scheduled to commence in October 2006, for completion by September 2007. The depot will be similar to the commuter railcar depot in Drogheda, but will service the 150 Intercity railcars, which are currently on order, and the new fleet of 67 carriages for the Dublin-Cork route.
  
  

Roads

• N25 Waterford City Bypass
  The Minister for Transport turned the sod on the Waterford City Bypass on 24 April. The project is to be completed by 2010 and involves the construction work of 23 kilometres of dual carriageway and a landmark bridge over the Suir River, approximately 475 metres in length. The route crosses the River Suir at Grannagh, close to the location of the existing N24/N9 junction to the north west of Waterford City, thus providing Waterford with a second major bridge over the Suir and allowing traffic on the N25 Cork-Rosslare route to bypass the City. In addition, there will be new connecting roads linking the Bypass to towns in the region and the new Waterford Institute of Technology campus. 
  
  
• N15 Ballyshannon-Ballybofey Bypass
  The Bundoran / Ballyshannon by-pass was opened by Minister of State Pat the Cope Gallagher TD, on 27 April 2006. This scheme forms part of the Atlantic Road Corridor. The project involved the construction of approximately 10.5km of new National Primary Route to form a bypass to the east of the towns of Bundoran and Ballyshannon in South Donegal.
  
  
• Dublin Port Tunnel
  The National Roads Authority published details of its finally approved toll rates for the Dublin Port Tunnel project on 11 April. The toll charges have been set at a level appropriate to limit the potential for traffic congestion to occur within the tunnel, in accordance with safe tunnel operating practice and with the recent EU Directive on tunnel safety.
  
  Following an international tender competition, the National Roads Authority also announced the appointment of Transroute International to manage and operate the Tunnel for the first five years of operation. Transroute International is part of Groupe Egis, which operates in more than 80 countries worldwide. The contract is on a service fee basis, with the toll revenue collected at the tunnel plaza being remitted to the National Roads Authority