Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There is a time lag and we are aware that public transport, including rail, has been bursting at the seams in recent years. Despite the Taoiseach having promised in January 2018 that additional refurbished carriages were on their way and that new rail carriages would be ordered, they have not arrived. Despite my having raised this issue with the Minister in the past and him having said the order was imminent, the carriages have not arrived. In fact, we are still awaiting commencement in respect of the pre-qualifying criteria. Even if we get everything in order and the orders are placed by quarter 2 of 2020, it will take three to four years before there is a delivery. Despite the fact that the Minister is responsible for public transport, he is saying today to any commuter travelling on an overcrowded train to Dublin from Mullingar, Kildare, Wicklow or anywhere else in the commuter belt, any senior citizen who cannot get a seat on a train, and anybody who cannot get a seat on a train when travelling to attend a medical appointment, that no new rail carriages will be delivered until the end of 2023, at best, or 2024. He is trying to blame the NTA for the lack of his guidance in this regard.

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