James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the commitment the Minister gave me last year during one of our previous debates to pursue the car park option.

I know that is under way. Unfortunately, it has hit some roadblocks locally. I have been in discussions with the NTA, Kildare County Council, Irish Rail and various stakeholders to try to move it forward. I ask the Minister to join me and to apply what pressure he can in order to bring to matters to a head and prioritise the works necessary to get that over the line. There is a plan in motion. There have been some technical and planning difficulties, but it is important to get all the relevant people around the table. I am doing everything I can and I ask the Minister to do the same in his Department to encourage the parties to resolve outstanding issues and move this forward.

There are other potential solutions that can be explored. Along with Hazelhatch and Celbridge Station, Sallins and Naas Station came into the short-hop zone approximately two years ago. There are still commuters from Newbridge, Kildare town and further out, and possibly even Monasterevin, who actually drive past their local station. They drive from the south of the county to park at Sallins and Naas Station because it is in the short-hop zone and they can avail of the cheaper fares. It does not really make sense from several perspectives, not least that of climate change. More emissions are produced by people driving farther to get to the station. It also does not make sense logically or with regard to practical convenience and comfort. People do not want to drive past their local station in order to get to another station, but their budgets decree that they must. I ask the Minister to talk to the NTA about extending the short-hop zone to Newbridge and possibly beyond. That will remove some of the pressure.

I wish to put another suggestion to the Minister, and I would like him to explore it with the NTA and other stakeholders. There is a system of feeder buses serving some of these stations, including Sallins and Naas Station and Hazelhatch and Celbridge Station. The feeder bus makes a lot of sense. People from the surrounding towns and estates from three to five miles away, places that are too far away to walk from, can travel to the station by bus. This is already happening in Naas, but there are not enough buses and the routes are not comprehensive enough. With a small improvement that would fit very well into public policy, we could expand the feeder bus network to cover the likes of Clane, Caragh, Sallins and Naas and bring people to the stations without ever having to step into their car. I am talking about fast-tracking one of those options. Perhaps a temporary site could be explored in the short term. It is an emergency situation.

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