yippee they're gonna announce re-opening the Middleton line....

[Colm Donoghue]

From todays indo. See near the end.





RELIEF for up to 100,000 motorists stuck daily on the M50 will be the most tangible promise in the Government's €175bn National Development Plan (NDP) being unveiled today.

The project states the West Link toll barriers will be removed by next year.

They will, however, be replaced by 'invisible' barrier-free, electronic tolls where the vehicle registration is photographed and the driver billed if they do not have a pre-paid sticker.

For decades public transport has been the poor relation when it came to Government funding. Most of the cash is being spent on completing the major inter-urban motorways and dual carriageways.

But the NDP, being unveiled this afternoon by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, includes a €13bn provision for public transport.

Most of the transport initiatives have already been announced as part of Transport 21, a commitment to spend €34bn on two metro lines and seven new Luas routes.

The projects being given the green light today include a commuter rail service between Mallow and Midleton/Cobh by 2008.

More quality bus corridors for Dublin's hard-pressed commuters are also included in the plan over the next seven years.

The document also pledges enhanced capacity at Dublin Airport as well as major investment in the regional airports.