The appointment of the Dublin Transport Authority Establishment Team was announced by the Minister for Transport, Martin Cullen T.D., on 6 November 2005. The Minister appointed Professor Margaret OMahony, Head of the Department of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering and Director of the Centre for Transport Research at Trinity College Dublin as Chairperson of the Establishment Team. The other members of the Team were John Lumsden and Pat Mangan, Assistant Secretaries at the Department of Transport and Colin Hunt, Minister Cullens Special Advisor. The Secretary to the Team was Maev Nic Lochlainn, Principal Officer at the Department of Transport.

Under the Terms of Reference set out by the Minister in his letter of appointment to Professor Margaret OMahony as Chairperson, the Team was asked:

• to make recommendations on the establishment of a transport authority for the Greater Dublin Area, addressing the remit of the authority, its powers, its structure, organisation and human and other resource requirements and such other matters as the Team considered appropriate;
• to give advice on the content of legislation required to establish the proposed authority on a statutory basis; and
• to make recommendations on what interim arrangements should be put in place pending the enactment of the legislation.