Yesterday, within 24 hours of the announcement of the Meath by-election, the Minister for Transport, Mr Cullen, visited the county and made the first election promise of the campaign.
He told the Chambers of Commerce in Meath that he is "closing in" on a rail infrastructure deal for commuters in the county and, combined with the M3 motorway, it would put in place "the infrastructure to attract new investment and jobs into Meath".
Referring to Navan, where there has been disappointment that it was not included in the feasibility study for the first phase of the rail-line to Dublin, he said any rail project "must also cater for Navan traffic using the N3 and ultimately the new M3 and focus on options for the town of Navan itself".
The controversial M3 motorway, which the Chambers of Commerce say has the support of 80 per cent of people in Meath, was also raised. Mr Cullen said the situation where commuters spend up to 120 working days a year in traffic "is unacceptable. This is strangling the local economy and damaging quality of life".
The visit, which the Department said was planned three weeks ago but which opponents of the motorway did not know about, was criticised by the Save Tara group. It has promised to take legal action if the route gets the go-ahead from the Minister for the Environment, Mr Roche.