Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am afraid that I will have qualified for the free travel pass by the time the Navan rail line is developed. I have relentlessly pursued the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport since my election to the Dáil three years ago on the requirement for the Navan train line. In autumn 2016, which is exactly three years ago, during a Topical Issue debate on the Navan rail line, the Minister told me he would visit Navan following my invitation to see how we do things. Three years later, I and, more importantly, the people of Meath are still waiting for that glorious visit to occur.

The NTA has responsibility for public transport. Will it visit Navan to meet our transportation team and discuss the possibility of a review of the project earlier than 2021? The basis for such a meeting would be the figures for the draft development plan that is about to be published. Senior planners in County Meath believe the methodology used in the previous review of the rail line was incorrect. I consistently and regularly raise this issue with the Minister and each time I get the following standard answer:

The NTA concluded that based on current population and employment forecasts, the level of travel demand between Navan, Dunshaughlin and various stations to the city centre is insufficient to justify the development of a high-capacity rail link at this time.  Instead it is proposed that an enhanced bus service will be provided along the corridor in conjunction with the development of a bus hub in Navan.

Is the NTA satisfied that the enhanced bus service is working efficiently and properly?