Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has moved to play down suggestions of a rift between his party and Fine Gael over investment in the road network.
Speaking in Carlow today about a multibillion rail plan which he launched earlier this week, he said: "This not going to be anti-road or anti-motorist."
Following the publication of the train network proposals, the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that the plan also made the case for further investment in roads.
Speaking to reporters following the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the Taoiseach said that 90% of freight would still be transported by road.
In the past few months there have been simmering tensions between Fine Gael and the Greens on investment in the country's transport arteries.
But today Mr Ryan insisted that he is committed to "doing more roads", adding that this would "be part of a more sustainable transport system."
Citing the importance of by-passes he said: "Taking traffic out of towns is a way where we will need build roads."
"But that does not mean we don't invest in public transport," he added.
"That rail review is a historic document that will be seen in the future as the moment when we turn back to rail, where we created a new era of rail," the minister said.
Mr Ryan also said that connections to the northwest including Derry, Letterkenny and Donegal are important.
He also stressed the importance of the Western Rail corridor as part of an effort to rebalance the country away from the east.
