3.1 | Introduction

3.1 | Introduction

As part of NIFTI, a wide range of supporting analysis has been conducted to identify key transport challenges, needs and constraints, both today and in the future. This analysis can divided into three broad categories: context and background, the existing land transport network, and the future land transport network.

The first set of analysis considers the context within which NIFTI has been developed and identifies factors with the potential to affect how and where transport will take place in the decades ahead. Given uncertainty around future developments in the transport sector, NIFTI is designed with sufficient flexibility to accommodate potential changes to transport use and patterns arising from, for example, Brexit and new technologies.

The current network work package considers the management and renewal of the existing land transport system in terms of maintenance, safety, resilience and contractual obligations. Ensuring that existing assets provide safe travel and are maintained to a good standard is fundamental to realising the full benefits of past investment.

Finally, applying National Planning Framework settlement and population projections, the future network work package identifies potential constraints on the future land transport network, indicating the types of issues and areas that will need to be addressed if the ten National Strategic Outcomes are to be realised.

National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland | Project Ireland 2040

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Road Improvement/Maintenance Sustainable Mobility

The following section summarises the key points that emerged from the background analysis and identifies the challenges to be addressed through future investment.

the cities in those regions—Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford—as well as the regional centres of Letterkenny and Sligo.

In terms of infrastructure supply, for the coming decade the NDP has identified a range of transport projects that will be commenced, subject to compliance processes such as the Public Spending Code. These include BusConnects in all five cities along with comprehensive walking and cycling networks, MetroLink, DART+, the upgraded link between Cork and Limerick and the replacement of the Dublin-Belfast Enterprise train fleet. In addition to these very large projects, a host of smaller projects are set out that will enhance regional connectivity and improve the transport offering in rural Ireland. Finally, besides investment in new projects, it is expected that a significant proportion of maintenance and renewal costs across the network will be funded in future years following a long period of underinvestment in the aftermath of the financial crisis.