Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is a good news story that the line is working well but we have to ensure that the experience on it is the best for everybody, young and old. In particular in rural areas, we do not have public transport and we rely on cars to get people to bus stops, many of which do not have shelters. What plans are in place for that? There are also challenges regarding the location of, and the space for, shelters. There should be an emphasis on the experience for people using public transport. A Local Link service has just started in my constituency that runs between Tuam and Galway through Headford. There is a brand-new electric bus on the route with a rolling ramp. The only problem is getting a charger for the bus and it has to go to some industrial location to be charged because it cannot be charged in its own yard.

When we do it right, public transport is brilliant. Throughout the country, the train is becoming more fashionable and people are using it more often on the basis that it is the right way to travel. It is important, when we are doing this, that we plan for what is going to happen. It is beginning to evolve. From Sligo to Galway to Limerick and down to Cork, the western rail corridor provides access for people, especially older people and people with mobility issues. To develop that infrastructure would be a huge release for people to get around the region. Where there is infrastructure and it is delivered right, we will end up with more and more people using it, so we need to plan for that. We also need to make sure there is connectivity, in particular time connectivity, between trains and buses, especially for people trying to get to hospital appointments and back home again. If we create confidence, many more people with disabilities will use public transport. As I said, where we do it, we do it well.