The Government will today announce a list of nine projects to be fast-tracked under new legislation that prioritises critical infrastructure.
Among the schemes that will be listed are Dublin’s MetroLink, the Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme and the Galway ring road.
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.
The Critical Infrastructure Act covers organisations such as the planning body An Coimisiún Pleanála, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority.
Every public body involved in the approval process for designated critical infrastructure will be required to reduce timelines, progress processes in parallel and cooperate with each other.
The legislation also disapplies the climate legislation to critical infrastructure projects – a move that has been criticised by environmental groups.