Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

One must realise, as I am sure the Deputy does, that one cannot just go into a shop and order carriages or trains here, there and everywhere. These things have to be considered carefully and procurement procedures must be followed. The Deputy would not for one moment suggest that should not happen. It is very important. The Deputy referred to the 41 additional carriages for the existing fleet and he is correct. While the possibility of purchasing or leasing second-hand stock as a quick fix is being evaluated, the Deputy is probably aware that procurement recently commenced to source 300 new bi-mode carriages. The order will be placed next year with delivery taking place in the next two to three years. We have to approach this issue by taking action in the short, medium and long term and we have a plan for all that, depending, of course, on the expansion of demand. The Deputy will be well aware that the increase in demand for public transport in recent times has been unexpectedly successful. Public transport is attracting a large number of additional passengers, due partly to prosperity but also to the fact that public transport, whether it is bus, rail or Luas services, has improved immensely, which I applaud. We are determined to move people to public transport and we are doing so successfully. There are capacity difficulties, to which the Deputy referred, but we are determined to resolve them and we have a well spelled out plan to do so.

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