Ms Deirdre Hanlon:

We have an €8.6 billion capital investment programme, which is happening over the short, medium and long term. The Deputy specifically asked about the shorter term initiatives for what we call expanding capacity. That means being able to carry more people and have more services. Next year alone there will be an expansion of the bus fleet by 60 vehicles in addition to the replacement of 175 buses. There is expansion of services in buses and, importantly, in the rural transport scheme. In 2016, we were spending €12.5 million a year and we are now spending €21 million a year supporting that. There are 1,000 different routes and 2.2 million passengers. That is increasing. I think there have been 76 different service improvements across that network in recent times with late-night services and other expansions of service. There are more regular services, including at weekends and off-peak times, not just in the traditional times. That is a rural initiative.

On the rail network, the Government announced recently the investment in new rail fleet, which is going to come on-track two years from now. The Deputy asked about a two-year trajectory. The first carriages in that fleet will come in in two years. It is costing €150 million and is going to double the capacity of the rail network in the greater Dublin area. It is massive. The greater Dublin area is the part of the rail network that carries approximately 70% of the patronage on the network nationally. Following the extension of the Luas line with the cross-city Luas, there has been investment in fleet. Seven new trams came in as part of that. They were the longer trams. They have bedded in well now and are running well. Some 26 of the existing trams are being extended, whereby what was a 42 m tram is being taken out of service and having a new chunk put in to become a 55 m tram. The first couple of extended trams have entered service and they will come in steadily over the coming months. Next year, eight more of the 55 m trams will be purchased.