Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy is aware, it is proposed to address emissions through a national mitigation plan, which will incorporate input from many sectors of government and society in the areas of electricity generation, the built environment, agriculture and transport.  The mitigation measures being considered for transport will be wide-ranging and will focus on policy development, smarter travel and modal shift, supports for alternative fuels and certain fiscal and taxation incentives to target behavioural change.  Public transport projects and investment will form part of this multifaceted response to mitigation from the sector. 

To date, considerable progress has been achieved through measures aimed at promoting improved technologies and changing travel behaviour. With regard to Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann, a range of energy efficiency measures, including eco-driving, bus and network priority programmes and fleet replacement, have delivered significant fuel savings.  Irish Rail has also introduced a range of measures, including train configuration changes and traction control software on the DART network.

On the specific issue of fleet replacement, Dublin Bus will receive 110 new buses in 2016, of which 80 will be replacement buses and 30 for market growth.

In addition, Bus Éireann will get 72 new buses comprising 11 from its 2015 order and 60 additional buses for replacement and market growth.

Investment in fleet replacement is underpinned by significant investment in the public transport element of the Government's new capital plan, which will reach €3.6 billion in the period 2016 to 2021.  In 2015, I secured an additional allocation of €60 million for capital investment in public transport infrastructure to bring the total capital investment in 2015 to €340 million. A similar amount has been secured for next year and annual allocations will more than double to €845 million in the final years of the plan.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

This funding will be used for asset renewal of the public transport system including the upgrading of bus corridors and the completion of the Luas cross-city project in Dublin. Funds are also being committed in respect of a range of measures which will help to alleviate traffic congestion and promote a shift to public transport away from private cars in the short term, including the building of additional cycle lanes, the continuation of smart technology upgrades, improvements to the DART service and the opening of the Phoenix Park tunnel in 2016. Investment will also be focused on addressing growing congestion resulting from economic recovery and population growth.  Such funding will also enable other major transport projects to proceed, such as the new metro north and the DART expansion programme.

In addition to this investment in public transport infrastructure, my Department is currently developing a new national policy framework to support the uptake of alternative fuels through the development of infrastructure and incentives aimed at increasing the number of alternative-fuelled vehicles, including buses, being used in Ireland.  Within this context and as reflected in the White Paper on energy policy which is being launched around now, it is proposed to establish a green bus fund to support the purchase of cleaner and greener public transport vehicles in the period to 2020.

In the context of our mitigation objectives, the responsibility for emissions reduction is a collective one and, when all sectoral inputs have been co-ordinated, the draft mitigation plan will be available for extensive public consultation before being submitted for approval to Government.

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