A high-powered steering committee has recommended that the old Dublin to Dunboyne rail line be re-opened at a cost of €156 million after their feasibility study concluded the line would be economically viable.
The committee comprised of senior officials from Iarnród Éireann, the Dublin Transportation Office and Meath and Final County Councils.
The proposal has been accepted by the Board of Iarnrod Eireann and will now go to the Minister of Transport, Martin Cullen, to secure Cabinet approval.
The money required would include €86 million for infrastructure, €30 million for rolling stock and €40 million for land acquisition.
However, Fine Gael and Labour are pressing for the line to be extended as far as Navan.
An Iarnród Éireann source said that if the Dublin to Dunboyne proposal was accepted by Government, it would take five years to complete.
