The Department of Transport has set out a €20bn transport plan, which it wants to present to the Cabinet early next week.

It will detail all the States major transport projects until 2017.

According to newspaper reports this morning, the Minister for Finance Brian Cowen has given the Department of Transport the green light to forge ahead with its ten year strategic transport plan.

The plan, which is due to begin in 2007, will include many projects that have already been put to the public domain.

For example, in Dublin the Luas will be extended to the docklands and northern suburbs and plans for a metro connecting Dublin airport with the city centre are also included.

Commuter rail connections will be reopened between the capital and Meath, between Cork and Midleton, and Galway and Ennis

Also included in the plan is the completion of the inter-urban motorway scheme and the development of the western road corridor.