Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for providing more than €400 million for safety on the Ballaghaderreen to Scramogue road in County Roscommon. This was an extremely dangerous road on which lives were lost. I acknowledge the attention given to this matter. We also have a brand-new Local Link service from Castlerea to Mountbellew and Ballinasloe. I was in Galway last week and saw the new X51 service that goes from Galway to Shannon Airport. I ask that the Department give attention to the continuation of the wonderful new cycleway. The bridge across the Shannon is stunning. The process has gone thorough the tendering and re-tendering processes, which is a challenge. This wonderful, new coast-to-coast high-spec cycleway is one of the key projects that I want to see being delivered in Galway.

The second issue I raise is regional connectivity between towns. At the event in Galway I mentioned, one of the officials from the Expressway bus service took the train from Dublin to Galway because they could not take a bus. Then they arrived and were there for the launch of the new X51 service. Is there an opportunity to consider this in the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan for route 23? Is there a way to review this because we no longer have Aircoach servicing the Dublin to Galway route. Is it possible to review route 20, which connects the towns?

It is wonderful that we have seven new train services from Galway to Dublin. It will mean that people can travel to work in Portiuncula University Hospital and get to work in Galway. There are now later services at 7.30 p.m. and 8.30 p.m. from Dublin, which will be fantastic for many public representatives, never mind the people working in Dublin. Heuston Station is jammed a lot of the time. I used the service over the last two or three weeks. The number of people using it is incredible. Some 40 additional carriages have been added to the trains, which is phenomenal. Not every town has a train station in the middle of the town, allowing for easy access. I ask that there be a review of the 20 route, in the context of the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan, which is coming to the end of its five-year period.