Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I do not doubt that she is going on to greater things. In budget 2019, almost 35% of the total voted expenditure of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport was allocated to supporting sustainable mobility. I fully agree with the Deputy that we need to increase that level of funding in the years ahead. I am sure she will welcome the increases I have secured in the allocations for sustainable mobility in the coming years as part of Project Ireland 2040. The capital allocation is scheduled to increase by approximately 48% next year and by a further 46% in 2021. On current expenditure, the subvention levels have increased substantially in recent years. There has been a 36% increase in the past four years. A total of €287 million is being provided this year. This increased subvention is supporting improved services in urban and rural areas. The increased services are allowing more people to make the shift to public transport, with a 7.5% increase in passenger numbers recorded last year.

The Deputy will acknowledge that a number of important projects are under way or are scheduled to start this year. The continued expansion of the bus fleet will add more capacity to bus networks across the country. I could also mention a number of significant active travel projects in our major cities, like the Royal Canal greenway in Dublin, the Harley Street bridge in Cork and the Parnell Street project in Limerick. Trams on the Luas green line are being extended, with the first of the newly extended 55 m trams due to enter service after the summer. We are increasing funding for the maintenance and renewal of the national rail network by 23% this year to help to deliver improved journey times and reliability on the network. A new national train control centre will commence construction later in the year. The city centre resignalling project will deliver increased rail capacity when it has been completed. We are continuing to fund the planning and design of the transformative projects planned under the BusConnects, MetroLink and DART expansion investment programmes. I am confident this increased investment will enable more people to make the shift away from the car and toward sustainable options.

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