The Government has announced a list of projects which are to be fast-tracked under new legislation which prioritises critical infrastructure, with Dublin’s MetroLink and the Galway ring road among them.
Nine major infrastructure projects and programmes have been designated as being of critical national importance, giving them priority status for faster processing and decision-making.
The projects, including MetroLink, the Galway City Ring Road and the Greater Dublin Drainage Project, are the first tranche to be designated under the Critical Infrastructure Act 2026.
The new legislation, proposed by Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers, was enacted last month.
It mandates public bodies involved in authorising projects to fast-track specific schemes, which have been designated as critical by the Government.
Under the new powers, public bodies must take steps to reduce the time needed for approvals and ensure that necessary administrative, technical and decision-making resources are allocated.
The Government said that the designation would speed up decisions without overriding existing legal requirements or dictating the outcome of planning or other statutory processes.
The nine projects designated are:
Transport
MetroLink
Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme
Galway City Ring Road
Water
Water Supply Project for the Eastern and Midlands Region
Greater Dublin Drainage Project
Limerick (Bunlicky) Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade and Bioresource Centre
Energy
North South 400 kV Interconnector
Moneypoint 400 kV Series Capacitor Project
Letterkenny 110 kV Redevelopment Project
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Mr Chambers said the move demonstrated the Government’s commitment to “break through inertia, slash project timelines and accelerate the delivery” of infrastructure.
He said that significant capital investment had been committed for the years ahead, but the pace of delivery needed to increase.
“Designated projects effectively go to the top of the queue for faster processing and decision making by public bodies,” Mr Chambers stated.
He said the projects would strengthen energy networks, improve water and wastewater capacity, and enhance public transport and connectivity.
“We are also considering emergency powers which would allow us circumvent some of the decision making processes as well,” Jack Chambers said.
He added this would involve “more complex drafting” of legislation and was likely to be introduced by the Government in the autumn.
The Government said further designation orders would be brought forward throughout the year as part of its Accelerating Infrastructure Action Plan.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) has welcomed the designation of MetroLink and the Galway City Ring.
TII CEO Lorcan O’Connor said the move would streamline approvals, improve coordination between public bodies and accelerate decision-making on the projects.
He said the designation was a “powerful vote of confidence” in the projects’ potential to transform Ireland’s transport network, economy and regional development.
Mr O’Connor said the new framework would help reduce administrative delays and allow TII, the National Transport Authority and project teams to maintain momentum towards delivery.
“Using the Critical Infrastructure Bill to disapply climate law for the Galway Ring Road and infrastructure sends a dangerous message that our healthy environment is not a political priority.” Deirdre Duffy, the CEO of Friends of the Earth Ireland, said today.
Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on Public Expenditure Mairéad Farrell said that the infrastructural deficit across the State demands urgent action from this Government.
“The Government’s track record is to announce everything, and deliver nothing. They must ensure that this announcement materialises into fast-delivery timelines for these crucial infrastructure projects,” she added.
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‘Hugely important’ plans for Galway ring road
The head of Galway Chamber has said the planned ring road for Galway City is a “hugely important” piece of critical infrastructure, which is welcomed by the local business community.
Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One, Chief Executive of Galway Chamber Karen Ronan said the ring road is a significant national project.
“I think the inclusion of the Ring Road on this list … really recognises that it isn’t just a Galway issue, it’s a project of national economic importance,” Ms Ronan said.
Ms Ronan said there has been “huge engagement” around the project with Minister Jack Chambers, the Department of Transport and the local Oireachtas members from Galway.
“We asked a number of months back for it to be given the same level of importance as Metrolink and to see it in a selection of three projects is actually phenomenal for Galway,” she said.
“The ring road is part of a much bigger transport strategy for Galway that includes things like public transport, Bus Connects, active travel and investment in rail, so it’s a really important inclusion for us in Galway,” she said.
Critics have argued that the priority in the city should go to public transport rather than road building, but Ms Ronan said this piece of infrastructure is “complementary, not competing”.
“Our response with regards to any environmental concerns as somebody who travels the road extensively and often has to sit in traffic for nearly two hours is that it’s about getting the right traffic in the right place,” she said.
“It’s about removing unnecessary through traffic from the city and allowing public transport to operate more reliably, improve journey times for buses and making active travel infrastructure effective, which all helps to reduce congestion related emissions,” she said.
