Seanad debates
Wednesday, 8 May 2024
Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters
Public Transport
12:30 pm
Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael)
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With the withdrawal of Aircoach from 8 April 2024, and the X20 service in 2021, on the Dublin to Galway route, those services have been stopped. We currently only have Citylink, which goes every two hours between Dublin and Galway and services the towns between those two cities. This Commencement matter was intended for the Minister for Transport. I am frustrated. I raised this in 2021 and again last year, when I said there is definitely a need for more services. What happens? The commercial provider, Aircoach, stops the service in April of this year.
I went onto the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan website. When that plan came out, I had a campaign in Galway and Roscommon and I talked about the need for additional public transport services in our rural areas. I did videos and I linked in with community groups in the region. It is great to see some of our Local Link services going from Castlerea to Mountbellew to Ballinasloe, but we have a Local Link service that goes from Ballinasloe to Loughrea when there is no connectivity from Loughrea to Galway.
We do not have a Local Link that goes from Ballinasloe to Athlone. Does the Minister of State know the hospital, the emergency department and the maternity service for the city of Athlone? It is Portiuncula University Hospital, which is a level 3 acute maternity hospital. The Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan, on the very first page of the lovely slide on its website, refers to connecting medical and educational establishments.That is well and good but how is it getting done? I want the Minister of State to take this message back because I have had it with the fact that I call for additional services and that the Government is supporting additional public transport but yet the commercial provider has removed a service it was providing. Now the Citylink service is every two hours. We have a train station - are we not fortunate? The train station is 2 km from the hospital. If you are expecting and going for a maternity check-up, you have the joy of making your way to the train station in Athlone and the additional joy, if you do not meet the Local Link bus to bring you to the hospital, of walking those 2 km.
I received an email from the assistant director of nursing in Portiuncula. She expressed concern around student nurses being able to get to work. These young people may be trying to get from Galway. They may work in UHG or Merlin Park and are trying to get to the hospital in Portiuncula to do their shift. Maybe they make their way into Galway, get the train from Eyre Square to Ballinasloe and have to walk, if they do not get the Local Link bus, another 2 km. They are on their feet all day long.
I do not know what else to say except there is a lack of investment in the west. I was in Raheny station at quarter to nine last Thursday in Dublin city centre. Four trains passed me by in three to four minutes. How can we say we have equal access to public transport? It is not the case. When we look at every parameter that needs to be considered here, including CLÁR and areas of deprivation, I can point to communities that have no access and cannot get into town to collect their pension or for social activities.
We had a motion here last week about loneliness, anxiety and isolation. The west of Ireland is one of our most deprived areas and this is a just transition area that has lost jobs through Shannonbridge but somehow, the Department of Transport is saying communities in the west do not need those services. I have talked to Local Link managers of services in Westmeath and Dublin that cover the Roscommon, Westmeath and Longford area, and to the Local Link managers in Galway. They would like to extend those services. They are willing to consider it but need funding. They need the nod. It is in the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan about having additional services between Athlone and Ballinasloe.
Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator Dolan for raising this important topic. I know how passionate she is about advocating for the best interests of the local communities in Galway and Roscommon. I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Ryan.
The Minister for Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding of public transport but neither the Minister nor his officials are involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services. The statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally rests with the National Transport Authority, NTA. The NTA works with the public transport operators who deliver the services and have responsibility for day-to-day operational matters.
That said, I reassure the Senator that the Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options, and public transport plays an important role in the delivery of this goal. To support this objective, under budget 2024 a funding package of €613 million has been secured for public service obligation, PSO, and Local Link services. This includes funding for the continuation of the 20% fare reduction on PSO services, the young adult card on both PSO and commercial bus services, and the 90-minute fare until the end of 2024. Funding has also been secured to support new and enhanced bus and rail services next year.
I turn my attention to the specific issue raised by Senator Dolan.While the majority of public transport in Ireland is Exchequer funded through the PSO programme, a critical part of the national public transport system is comprised of bus services run on a commercial basis throughout the country. The Galway to Dublin Airport service provided by Aircoach falls into the latter category. As such, any decision taken on the cessation of that specific route is a commercial decision solely for the operator, in which neither the Department of Transport nor the NTA has a role.
That said, if a commercial operator ceases to run a specific route, the NTA undertakes an assessment to determine whether, with the discontinuation of the commercial service, it is necessary for a replacement PSO route to be introduced to ensure no loss of connectivity to the public. This process includes an assessment of the level of demand for public transport services in the affected area, an evaluation of whether existing PSO services can be reconfigured to meet any shortfall and whether it is necessary to competitively tender for the provision of services.
As of April 2024, the NTA has determined that the removal of the routes 20 and X20 service will have limited impact on Galway to Dublin intercity journeys as Citylink route 763 continues to support the route. Additionally, there is currently no public service obligation to introduce new services to replace route 706. As outlined in the NTA’s assessment, public transport trips from Galway to Athlone and Athlone to Dublin will continue to be served by rail and bus. Route 763 provides eight return trips daily and Irish Rail provides nine departures on weekdays, eight on Saturdays and six on Sundays in both directions between Galway and Athlone. Athlone is included within corridor 23 in the Connecting Ireland plan, which specifies a minimum service frequency of two hours on all services between Galway and Dublin. Following the withdrawal of route 706, the remaining service provision exceeds the minimum service frequency identified by Connecting Ireland. The NTA will continue to monitor local demands for travel along this corridor to ensure they remain fit for purpose.
Eileen Flynn (Independent)
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I ask Senator Dolan to bear in mind that the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, is standing in for the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan.
Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael)
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The Minister of State knows very well that he is standing in for the Minister, Deputy Ryan. Any Minister who comes in here to reply to any Commencement matter is speaking on behalf of the Minister that they represent.
It is unfortunate and I would like the clock to be reset, please.
What the Minister of State has provided me with here from the NTA is supposed to be the rural Ireland Connecting Ireland mobility plan. Maybe we should have somebody from the NTA in here talking to us about the four trains that went past me in Raheny. Maybe we should move the whole population of Ireland into Dublin. Maybe that would be the easiest thing to do. If we moved them all from the west of Ireland, maybe it would all be sorted. According to this, it is okay for people only to have a coach service every two hours. Somebody living in the middle of Dublin city centre can have four trains pass by with another three or four buses outside the train station and yet in the likes of Ballinasloe or Athlone people, cannot get to the hospital. I did not speak about TUS or the university. I did not speak about students trying to get to college or to work. This is not fit for purpose. This plan must be reviewed. The Government cannot stand over it. It is very clear there is no balanced regional development here.
Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I will convey the Senator's frustration, disappointment and anger back to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, on this very important issue. I wish to reassure the Senator that the Department of Transport, the NTA and the operators will work to ensure they optimise deployment of resources across the public transport network to match changing passenger demand patterns. This will be reviewed and looked at.
I ask the Senator to continue her engagement. While the level of service provided by Citylink route 763 is considered to be sufficient for towns such as Loughrea and Ballinasloe, the NTA has other considerations to assess and it has deemed it insufficient for a town of Athlone’s population and status as a regional growth centre.Under Connecting Ireland, we have seen that a large number of regional and local routes are proposed to operate into Athlone, which will serve as a hub for the midlands, so consideration will need to be given to continue to provide high-quality intercity connectivity to both Galway and Dublin.
Looking at this collectively, I think these measures will provide not only further improved connectivity in the areas but also viable alternatives to private cars for those living in the region.
To the Senator's point about the route in question, it is a difficult situation as regards the commercial viability of the previous route. Responsibility lies with the actual operators, and I think that presents difficulties for the Department of Transport, the Minister and the NTA. I will continue to work with the Senator on this and ensure that the concerns she has raised are brought back to the Minister.