It is unacceptable that twelve months since the launch of Transport 21 no progress appears to have been made establishing the new Dublin Transport Authority, according to the Dublin Chamber of Commerce.

The Dublin Chamber will today hold a special Transport 21 briefing, sponsored by Ireland’s leading commercial property advisers, DTZ Sherry FitzGerald. The event marks the first anniversary of the launch of Transport 21, which will see €24bn invested in transport in the Greater Dublin Area over the period 2005-2015. The CEOs of Dublin Bus, Irish Rail, the National Roads Authority and the Rail Procurement Agency will make presentations monitoring progress implementing the plan and identify blockages. 

Dublin Chamber President Eugene McCague commented, "One year in, it would appear that a lot of good progress has been made implementing Transport 21. The route has been chosen for Metro North, three new Luas lines are making good progress, alignment work has started on Dublin's Rail Interconnector and funding has been provided for 100  additional buses."

"However, the truth is that slippage has occurred on many of these hugely important projects. Integrated ticketing, additional QBCs and some rail projects have been affected. If this continues, the massive switch to public transport will not be possible. Even worse congestion will further erode Dublin's competitiveness."  

"The Dublin Transport Authority is central to ensuring improved delivery between Dublin's numerous transport bodies and guaranteeing delivery. The Minister for Transport has had the report on the DTA on his desk since March. It is crucial that an interim body is appointed and that the enabling legislation is fast-tracked though the Dail. The successful delivery of Transport 21 depends on it. If this does not happen, many of the central elements of Transport 21 may never come to fruition."