Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for the question. Following a period of reduced transport usage and suppressed transport growth during the recession, Ireland's transport activity and demand has been increasing again and is expected to expand further in future years in line with forecast economic growth rates.  The National Transport Authority's, NTA, recent bus and rail statistics bulletin shows that more than 250 million passenger journeys were provided nationally last year on public obligation services provided by the transport operators.  For the capital city, the latest annual canal cordon report published by Dublin City Council and the NTA shows that 70% of all inbound trips crossing the cordon were made by a sustainable mode, that is, by people cycling, walking, or using bus, tram, train or taxi.

While these figures are encouraging, they present their own challenges. We want more people to use public transport but, as the Deputy indicated, if left unchecked, this can lead to crowded services.  We recognise that, which is precisely why we are investing extensively not only in expanding passenger capacity and services on the public transport network, but also in providing better infrastructure for people who choose to cycle or walk.  We need to safely and comfortably continue to accommodate more passengers and give them better, more reliable and attractive services.  The major investment programmes we outlined in the national development plan, NDP, are needed to respond appropriately to this growth in demand for public transport services and to address congestion and capacity constraints on the existing network.

Our flagship investments all to be delivered within the 10-year NDP horizon include: BusConnects to transform, enhance and expand the bus system in Ireland’s cities; MetroLink and priority elements of DART expansion to increase the range, scale and frequency of passenger rail services across the greater Dublin area; increasing Luas capacity for passengers on both the red and green lines; and considerably developing cycling and walking infrastructure in the greater Dublin area, Galway, Limerick, Cork and Waterford.

Planning of these larger projects is under way and they are scheduled for delivery progressively over the lifetime of the NDP.  Meanwhile, in the shorter term, our agencies are also taking a range of less elaborate, but nonetheless important, measures that will help ensure more effective functioning of transport services, particularly in the cities.  These include improving timetables to intensify the frequency of passenger services; buying new vehicles and fleet and increasing the size of the fleet in service so we can carry more passengers; providing upgraded cycling and walking infrastructure; and investing in sustainable transport projects. All this planned investment in public transport across the short, medium and long term will combine to add greatly to the level of service available for the travelling public, connecting more people with more places, easing congestion and combatting climate change.

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