Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

It will not be a feasibility study. I am not sure if the Senator was listening earlier when I was discussing the development in Cork with Senator Buttimer. We will look to build a high-capacity BusConnects corridor through the city, and then when the demand is shown to rise, we would upgrade it to light rail. I think the second is a real possibility in Galway. I know the group in Galway rightly proposed two light rail lines. The first one, as I see it, is from Barna, by Taylor's Hill Road, down to the hospital, by the university, over the Salmon Weir Bridge, through the centre and out towards Parkmore and all the industrial estates. That route, which would cope with the real problem in Galway of everyone living on one side of the city and working on the other side, is the most urgent project.

My understanding is that the route is reasonably well advanced. I believe the proposals for that Salmon Weir Bridge solution are already in the planning system. That is progressing. Let us build that at full speed. In that context, a review next year will look at how that might be upgraded to light rail. That is the way to do it. We should build the BusConnects first and get the alignment which makes it much easier. Establishing the alignment, the demand and the route along with getting the planning to back it up is the way to make it happen.