The evaluation of the public transport priority of the national development plan economic and social infrastructure operational programme was prepared for the NDP-CSF evaluation unit, which is under the aegis of the Department of Finance. Copies of the report have been laid before the Oireachtas and are available to the public at www.ndp.ie or by contacting the NDP-CSF evaluation unit.
The report recognised the significant progress made in recent years in the expansion of public transport capacity, especially in the greater Dublin area. However, it noted that the modal shares of public transport and the private car have remained reasonably static between 1997 and 2001. Further capacity has been added to the public transport system in 2002 and further increases are planned in 2003 and beyond. The report recognises that in the absence of recent public transport investment, congestion would have been worse.