Iarnród Eireann announce plan for a new underground rail link from Dublin Docklands to Heuston Station.
The network will run 5.2 km underground through the heart of Dublin city centre, linking the docklands with Heuston Station.
The interconnector rail line's five stops will link it with the existing Dart, Luas, Northern, Maynooth and Kildare lines and a number of proposed new lines including the Metro.
Iarnród Eireann says the new line will quadruple the number of rail passengers in Dublin from 25 million to 100 million per year.
Barry Kenny, Iarnród Eireann, says that the new plans mean that commuters will not be condemned to gridlock into the future. Population growth will be catered for by high frequency, high capacity trains.
Some commentators believe that the line needs to be introduced much sooner than is currently planned. Dr Garret FitzGerald points out that this plan will not be ready for use for nine years. He believes that the project could be completed sooner if resources and clearance were provided to Iarnród Eireann by government.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 12 May 2006. The reporter is Samantha Libreri.
