Alan Farrell (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for bringing forward this, admittedly, largely technical Bill. It is important for the Members of the House to be given an opportunity to debate this Public Transport Bill, an extraordinarily important part of the role of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and the Minister in terms of laying out plans for capital infrastructure over the next number of years. Like Deputy Daly - although not as cynical - I view a lot of the proposals that are in the public domain and over which the Minister has been deliberating over recent months as being of key importance in terms of improving the infrastructure in Dublin and the surrounding areas. In particular, I refer to my constituency and thank the Minister for his announcement yesterday relating to DART and the electrification of part of the northern commuter line, which is a welcome initiative. When metro north was paused in 2011, I spent some time with the then Minister, Deputy Varadkar, discussing alternatives in the short term to alleviate the pressures arising from the growth in the north county. I included electrification of the north county line and temporary alternatives to the likes of metro or Luas. That manifested itself with the proposal for the bus rapid transit, BRT. In the north county, as the Minister is aware, the Opposition has been very quick to pooh-pooh such a suggestion on the basis of an assumption that it was the alternative to the likes of a rail-based solution for Swords and Dublin Airport. Of course, it is not an alternative but an additional facility. If it were to go ahead, I am absolutely sure that once the planning was done right in the first place, it would be an additional bonus for the people in the north county to be able to get in and out of the city centre in a more efficient manner. There is one serious private operator in Swords - Swords Express - which offers a pretty good service, it must be said, through the port tunnel and, of course, Dublin Bus which provides ancillary services to and from the city via the airport and direct buses to Swords, which are beneficial.

Opposition Deputies have made various points on the question of whether we go ahead with the likes of metro north or a Luas alternative. I have said both publicly and privately to the Minister that the journey times and the capacity of either service are critical as far as I am concerned. Like Deputy Daly, I am quite indifferent as to whether the service is one or other. My position would be that people should be able get to the city centre in a reasonable period of time from northern Swords. I also want to be assured that the growth of Swords is met in terms of the projections that the population will double over the next 20 years or so, from 50,000 to 100,000 by 2035. Clearly we need to be planning 30 years in advance for whatever service we provide to the north county. If it is metro or if it is a cheaper version of metro and has capacity and journey times planned as part of its roll out, then clearly it will meet the demands of not just my constituency but also the millions of passengers who are coming in and out of Dublin Airport annually. The airport is a critical economic driver, not just for this country but also for my constituency. I understand it accounts for 3% of GDP and, of course, almost 100,000 jobs, which is a very significant number. As has been mentioned by some of my colleagues, Dublin is the only capital city in Europe that does not have a rail option for travellers to and from Dublin Airport.

To return briefly to the BRT, better levels of public transport and connectivity are critical to the growth of the north county in particular. While the city is growing in all areas, Fingal is growing eight times faster than Dublin city centre. There is a huge number of greenfield sites in the north county, particularly north of Swords, which will be expanded into over the coming decades. The development plan process is commencing in Fingal and the plan is expected to be in place in early 2017. Of course, in terms of the local authority's ability to plan for such growth and which particular areas should be focused on, it is incredibly important we are able to deliver upon the public transport proposals that will make a huge difference to the north side. There is no point in us, as the Minister has said on numerous occasions, building 40 more multi-storey car park facilities in Dublin city centre because we do not want people in their cars; we want them on public transport.

We want Dublin Bus to be a viable, profitable company that not only breaks even, but also makes a profit and invests in its fleet as opposed to requiring subvention from the State. The same applies to Irish Rail. While the company provides an excellent service to north County Dublin, economic growth is creating capacity problems. Most passengers who board a train in the morning in Balbriggan find a seat, whereas most of those who board at Rush and Lusk station must stand for the entire journey into the city centre. The benefit of having a DART service to Malahide is that my constituents find a seat on the DART trains. Extending the service to Balbriggan will alleviate pressure on the heavy rail service operating on the Belfast line and give people choice. This connectivity will be critical in rebuilding the economy and sustaining economic growth.

The sources of funding for the proposed projects are another important issue. When the announcement is made on the north Dublin corridor I would like some of the moneys accruing from the sale of Aer Lingus - the connectivity fund - to be provided for transport in north County Dublin. The services that are provided as a result must be integrated in existing transport networks, both Luas and rail, to ensure the greatest possible degree of connectivity in the capital.

DART underground does not affect my constituency but it is a very good idea. I understand the proposal to connect Dublin's rail lines dates back 100 years.

See this speech in context