Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Before I start, I also want to express my disgust that the Minister for Transport came in here for 20 minutes and then scooted off again, leaving the Minister of State to take the flack. The buck stops with the Minister for the shambles that went on at Dublin Airport.

I welcome the opportunity to address the issue of transport and air my views on some of the recent developments. I start by expressing my concerns at a report in the press yesterday that seemed to throw cold water on the prospect of the Limerick-Waterford railway being used to take traffic off our roads. The report implied a senior engineering figure in the N24 project said that even if the Waterford-Limerick train service speed was increased by enough to half the journey time, use of the line would only increase by 0.3%. It would be proper for the Minister to expand on the detail of this report and outline exactly what the terms of reference relating to it were. If key factors such as timetabling were excluded, then the study does not properly assess the viability of improving the line because it does not paint a true picture. I have spoken to the Minister time and time again. The timetable as it currently stands does not suit people getting to work and does not suit students either. You could build a rail line that is the most expensive in the world but without a timetable that suits people's needs and demands, it is not going to be used to its full potential. That is why, when it comes to studies of the viability of, for example, the Limerick to Rosslare or Limerick Junction to Waterford lines, you cannot be selective about what is taken into account. I urge all involved to publish that report immediately so we can see what was taken into account and what factors this 0.3% was drawn from.

In the context of the Limerick to Ballybrophy line, millions of euro have been spent on upgrading the track to continuous welded rail. However, the current service level is again inadequate to meet the public transport needs of the communities along the line. A third middle-of-the-day service must be introduced as well as a later evening commuter service from Limerick to Nenagh. These changes are possible if the will was there to provide adequate PSO funding in the NTA's 2023 budget for additional rail services. This is where the Minister comes into it. He must make the call here. He must take the lead and deliver for the communities across the country who are sick and tired of being lectured to about alternative methods of transport, yet are being denied this luxury at every turn. Adequate PSO funding is needed and the Minister's response can make a real difference here. I call on him to take action.

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