Dublin-Cork road trip to drop to two hours and 15 minutes [Article]

[comcor]

Dublin-Cork trip to drop to two hours and 15 minutes
By Seán McCárthaigh

JOURNEY times between Dublin and Cork are set to drop to two-and-a-quarter hours when a number of major projects announced yesterday are completed.

The National Roads Authority is promising dramatic improvements in the time taken to travel between the country’s two main cities when the route will comprise motorways and dual carriageways by 2010.

The average journey time on the M7/N8 between Dublin and Cork is around three-and-a-half hours.

NRA chairman, Peter Malone, said there were already major improvements on the route with the opening of bypasses of Fermoy, Mitchelstown, Cashel and Monasterevin.

Construction is already in progress on another 77km of dual carriageway between Cullahill and Mitchelstown.

Transport Minister, Martin Cullen, also yesterday announced that a record €1.53 billion would be invested in the National Roads Programme in 2007.

Nine major schemes are due for completion this year including a 28km dual carriageway between Kinnegad and Kilbeggan on the N6 as well as bypasses of Ennis, Castleblayney and Gorey and the Kilkenny ring road.

Seven major road projects totalling 215km in length are also due to commence in 2007.

They include the last four public-private partnership projects which are due to open in 2010: They are:

* 60km of motorway on the N3 between Clonee and Kells

* 56km of dual carriageway between Galway and Ballinasloe on the N6

* 40km of motorway between Portlaoise and Cullahill/Castletown on M7/M8

* 25km of motorway as part of the M50 upgrade scheme

Speaking at the launch of the National Roads Programme, Mr Cullen rejected claims by locals in Fermoy that over 6,000 heavy goods vehicles were causing congestion in nearby villages because they were avoiding the recently opened toll road that bypasses the north Cork town.

The minister said he did not understand the logic of hauliers who believed they were saving money by avoiding the toll road. He claimed there were major savings to be made by using the toll in terms of faster journey and delivery times, “It makes no sense if people think they are saving money by avoiding the toll,” said Mr Cullen.

Source: http://www.examiner.ie/irishexaminer...119-qqqx=1.asp

If any more indication were needed about the disaster that is timetable padding and the state of the tracks.

Sure, the train will still beat the car on the run-in to both cities, but let's face it, neither Heuston nor Kent is exactly in the centre of either city.