5.6 | Enhancing Transport

5.6 | Enhancing Transport Project Appraisal Guidance

5.7 | Continuing to Develop the Evidence Base

Transport infrastructure will be a key enabler of the NSOs. It will also be more important than ever that value for money is achieved in public expenditure given the many competing priorities, both within transport and across other sectors. For these reasons, the approaches used to assess the strategic fit, costs, benefits and risks associated with schemes must be robust and fit for purpose.

As summarised in Section 3 and set out in detail in the Background Papers, a substantial amount of supporting analysis has been undertaken to identify the challenges that the transport system faces, today and in the future, and inform our Investment Priorities.

As well as informing NIFTI, this supporting analysis has indicated areas where additional work is required. To further develop the evidence base for investment decision making, these topics will be prioritised for further research and policy development following publication of NIFTI.

The Common Appraisal Framework for Transport Projects and Programmes (CAF) sets out guidance for the appraisal of proposed transport investment in Ireland. It ensures scheme options are rigorously assessed, and thus supports the careful consideration of options by decision makers before any project is approved.

Significantly increasing the number of electric and other low-emission vehicles on our roads over the next decade is a key component of reducing the Irish transport sector’s greenhouse gas emissions. Doing so supports our transition to a low-carbon society and falls within our Investment Priorities. However, continuing the existing set of financial supports for LEVs also creates a challenge as it imposes significant costs on the Exchequer. In this context, we will carry out research to identify options to increase LEV uptake to support the transition away from grant supports.

A new version of CAF is being developed alongside NIFTI. This update will include a review of all existing sector-specific guidance and detailed information on the sectoral implementation of new requirements within the Public Spending Code, as well as assessing the strategic fit of proposed projects with NIFTI. Once the new CAF is approved and published, the NIFTI Investment Priorities and Hierarchies will be applied at individual, project-level assessment and appraisal.

In order to achieve the level of EV and LEV penetration envisioned in the Climate Action Plan, it is also important to ensure that the necessary recharging and refuelling infrastructure is available to service these vehicles so as to avoid infrastructure deficits becoming a potential barrier to uptake. We will develop a national infrastructure strategy to deliver publicly accessible recharging and refuelling infrastructure for LEVs to stay ahead of demand, having particular regard to non-urban needs.

At each Decision Gate, a project’s strategic fit with NIFTI’s Investment Priorities will need to be assessed. Sponsoring agencies will also be required to demonstrate that the development and appraisal of options adhere to the principles of the NIFTI Hierarchies. Specific guidance on how to meet these requirements will be set out in the CAF.

To decarbonise the transport sector, it will not be sufficient to reduce emissions from passenger travel. Emissions from the movement of goods must also fall. We will develop a comprehensive strategy for road haulage which will consider, among other things, measures to decarbonise road-based freight transport.

04

Implementation Action

The CAF will be updated to strengthen the appraisal of proposed transport expenditure and ensure that NIFTI and the NPF are firmly embedded in the appraisal process.

The supporting analysis has highlighted that annual protection and renewal costs to maintain the transport network are substantial.

National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland | Implementation

Consequently, it cannot be guaranteed that all of these costs will be met in a given year, particularly in the context of wider fiscal constraints. Where protection and renewal costs cannot be entirely met, funding should be diverted to the most strategically important elements of the system, including lifeline infrastructure. On a sectoral basis, we will identify priority assets and infrastructure for protection and renewal, taking into consideration climate adaptation and evolving infrastructure uses, including for industry.

planning is appropriately incorporated into the consideration of proposed investments.

A central motivation for NIFTI is to ensure that future investment in land transport supports the delivery of the National Planning Framework. While the Investment Priorities set out in NIFTI support the realisation of, for example, compact growth and regional rebalancing, more work can be done to ensure the coordination of public investment across the transport and planning systems. With the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Land Development Agency and the National Transport Authority, we will work to identify the housing potential associated with planned or proposed transport infrastructure in our urban centres.

In trying to identify the future challenges on the transport network within the five cities, the transport modelling indicates that urban congestion will be an issue by 2040 without further intervention beyond that set out in the NDP. To inform the development of policy in this space, we will refresh the costs of congestion analysis for the Greater Dublin Area published in 2017. We will also carry out similar analysis for the other four cities.