John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister mentioned the national development plan in which there is no mention of the Dublin-Rosslare line. I am a firm believer in "build it and they will come". Unfortunately, we have a 19th century rail line through Wicklow, which has received no upgrades for many decades. We have five services out of Wicklow, with two in the morning, one in the afternoon and two in the evening. Coming from Dublin into Wicklow, the first train to leave Dublin is at 9.33 a.m. If we are serious about getting people out of cars, there needs to be a bigger picture in terms of investing in our rail infrastructure. I am hearing absolutely nothing from the Minister of State. We need to see the electrification of the rail line beyond Greystones down to Wicklow town. We need to see the roll-out of battery operated trains as well. When will we see battery-operated trains on the Dublin-Rosslare line? What are the plans to extend the DART to Wicklow town? That gives us a serious opportunity to take people out of cars and put them on public transport.

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