The Ministers for Finance and Transport are believed to have agreed details of a 10-year plan for investment in transport which was initially to be announced at the start of this year.
Minister for Finance Brian Cowen and for Transport Martin Cullen have met in recent weeks and are believed to have resolved issues raised by Finance over the funding of several public transport projects.
The plan involves a development of the existing five- year €10 billion transport plan, due to be completed by 2009, into a 10-year €20 billion plan to be completed by 2014. It will now go to Cabinet for approval in the next few weeks.
The current five-year plan involves a €10 billion commitment to finish the State's inter-urban motorway programme by 2009.
It was the second five-year phase involving a further €10 billion - this time for public transport projects - which was queried by Finance officials.
The department was concerned that a project such as the Dublin Metro could be started, only to end up costing far in excess of the amount initially expected, as happened with the motorway programme, the Dublin Port Tunnel and other infrastructural projects.
Other elements of the plan expected to go to Cabinet in the coming weeks are a new orbital motorway around Dublin, the Eastern bypass of Dublin, the reopening of rail lines around Cork city, linking up the two Luas lines in Dublin, extending Luas to Citywest, the docklands, Cherrywood and Swords and the development of the airport metro.
It is also understood to include the Irish Rail plan for an interconnector between Dublin's Heuston and Connolly Stations; a new station in the docklands and an underground between Pearse Station and Heuston Station.