Motorists face further tolls

MOTORISTS are facing extra toll booth charges as nearly a quarter of the €34 billion new transport plan will be raised from the private sector.

Private firms will want a return on their €8bn investment and that will inevitably mean more tolls.

Transport Minister Martin Cullen insisted most of the routes will be toll free.

But he made it clear he is supportive of tolls, claiming public private partnerships have delivered roads much more quickly and within budget.

“I have no issue with regard to tolling, it’s a legitimate part of the development of a first-class network,” he said.

Of the €8bn in private investment, approximately €2bn will be toll based.

It was not immediately clear how much extra public money is being spent on the transport project, known as Transport 21.

While Finance Minister Brian Cowen said €16bn is being spent over the 10 years of the plan, some of the projects listed have already started and a few are almost completed.

At its peak, between 2009 and 2011, annual investment in transport will be over twice current levels, said Mr Cowen.

A detailed breakdown of the costs for the various projects is not yet available.

However, Mr Cullen said the cost of the Dublin transport system, the Metro, Luas and interconnector will be more than double the €4.2bn being spent on Heathrow Terminal 5.

“It will be closer to €10bn,” said one reliable source, who said the Metro alone is likely to cost close to €3.5bn.

The cost of the major road projects is likely to be something similar, with a significant amount drawn from the private sector.

It is known officials in the Department of Finance were particularly worried about the hugely ambitious plans for public transport in the capital.

Mr Cowen said: “In a programme covering 10 years it will be difficult to provide for all eventualities but there are project level contingencies in the costings.”