Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Minister for Transport and the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, I thank all the Deputies for their contributions to this debate on accessible, affordable and reliable public transport. In both the motion itself and the contributions I have heard from individual Deputies during the debate, we can see the range of challenges and opportunities but also the progress that has been made to date. I believe we are all in agreement about wanting to provide a comprehensive public transport network that serves the needs of all members of society in both urban and rural areas and one which addresses, as a number of Deputies have spoken to, our climate challenge.

As the House is aware, the Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options, and public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal. The recently agreed budget 2023 helps support this objective and is a further positive development for public transport passengers across the country. We have extended the 20% fare reduction on PSO services until the end of 2023 so that everyone will benefit. Equally, we have extended the 50% reduction available for young adults on both PSO and commercial services until the end of 2023. We are supporting new and enhanced bus and rail services throughout 2023 as well. These are all part of a €563 million funding package to support PSO services. That package was hugely significant in the context of providing accessible and affordable transport options. With regard to PSO contracts, I reiterate that any issues relating to punctuality, reliability and customer service standards are dealt with as part of the contractual arrangements between the NTA and the operators.

Furthermore, any issues of poor reliability or punctuality performance could result in financial penalties for those operators, and this has been acknowledged this evening. In incidences where operators have not met the minimum standards in recent months, the National Transport Authority, NTA, has applied significant penalties to those operators, and has engaged extensively with the operators with a view to improving service reliability.

With regard to transport provision in rural Ireland, the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan is a key component of the Government's ambitious plans in this area and will significantly increase the number of routes and the frequency of existing services right across the country. Connecting Ireland proposes to specifically to expand the public transport network in rural areas, and to increase service levels. For instance, under Connecting Ireland the NTA proposes an overall increase of approximately 25% in rural bus services as part of the five-year Connecting Ireland plan. Hundreds of rural villages and areas will, for the first time, be served by viable public transport link. Service improvements are already being rolled out under Connecting Ireland, with more planned before the end of the year. I endorse all of the remarks about Local Link this evening around its success and its efficacy on the ground. For the benefit of those Deputies who do not realise it, I must point out that Local Link is funded by this Government.

At present, routes that are identified through the Connecting Ireland consultation process are being prioritised to provide emergency public transport services to areas where the population and transport demand has increased due to the requirement to house Ukrainian refugees in rural locations. This is being achieved by accelerating network improvements, including additional stocks, route modifications, and more services to increase connectivity.

The Government also has ambitious plans for public transport infrastructure nationwide. The programme for Government commits to a fundamental change in the nature of transport in Ireland. This is supported by the national development plan, which has allocated €35 billion to maintain, enhance and improve transport infrastructure across the country over the next ten years. The substantial investment in transport in recent years, and the planned ramping up of major projects such as BusConnects in every city, Connecting Ireland in rural areas, the Cork area commuter rail programme, the DART+ project and MetroLink means that the national public transport landscape will continue to transform for the better in the coming years.

Under Project Ireland 2040, spatial planning and capital investment are being linked together in a meaningful way, while significant levels of investment are being put forward towards new public and sustainable transport initiatives, as well as major new road projects. Further capacity on the Kildare-Maynooth and northern rail lines will be increased by more than 30% compared to today, and the new rail cars required to achieve this increase have already started to arrive on the island and will enter service next year.

The third phase of BusConnects was rolled out in May this year and introduced two new northern orbital routes: the N4 connecting Blanchardstown to the Point Village; and the N6 connecting Finglas with Howth Junction. Most recently, phase 4 of BusConnects commenced on 16 October, with the introduction of G spine routes G1, G2, and route 60 operated by Dublin Bus. The routes will serve areas such as Ballyfermot, Liffey Valley, Clondalkin and Islandbridge. I have listened to Deputy Bríd Smith'scomplaints about the lack of local connection to these G routes and I will follow this up.

To help us achieve our climate targets, it was decided that from 2019 no new diesel buses would be purchased for urban public service obligation bus fleets. Deputies will be aware that as part of BusConnects the current fleet of buses in Dublin will be increased and converted to a zero-emission fleet by 2035, meeting rising demand and saving the equivalent of nearly 85,000 tonnes of CO₂per year, in line with our climate action plan targets. Buses and shelters will be modernised, increasing accessibility, and ensuring safe and enjoyable trips for passengers. Public transport investment, including bus and rail, can play a major role in decreasing CO₂emissions from the transportation sector, and provide workers, families and communities with an alternative and sustainable mode of transport.

I reiterate that the Minister for Transport is fully committed to strengthening our public transport offerings and progressively making them accessible for all. This requires a whole-journey approach, which refers to all elements that constitute a journey, from the starting point to the destination. It also means applying the principle of universal design. In addition, the sustainable mobility policy and some of the other key guiding policies include the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the national disability inclusion strategy, and the comprehensive employment strategy for people with disabilities. The public transport accessibility actions across these and other national strategies have been combined into the Department of Transport's accessibility work programme, which provides a fright framework for prioritising projects and programmes to progressively make public transport accessible. The Department of Transport will continue to engage with all stakeholders, particularly people who are disabled, to continue to work and make public transport more accessible for all.

As outlined earlier, the strategic rail review will examine the role of rail in supporting relevant policy objectives on the entire island of Ireland. We need this type of strategic analysis to inform our consideration of specific projects, and in this regard the House will be pleased to know that the review will consider the potential scope for improved rail services along various existing and potential future corridors of the network. That scope will also include the potential afforded by disused and closed lines such as the western rail corridor. I acknowledge Deputy Canney's work on the ad hoc all-party group in relation to the western rail corridor in advance of all the all-Ireland rail review. The review will be one of the most significant reviews of the rail network on the island in many years. It will provide a framework to develop a much improved all-island rail network in the years ahead. The Department of Transport expects the review to be completed by the end of this year.

In conclusion, I assure the House that the Minister fully recognises and emphasises the hugely important role that public transport plays in all of our lives and is acutely aware of the concerns that have been raised in relation to making public transport fully accessible, reliable, and affordable to all. The ambitious investment programmes in the public transport sector over the coming years, such as BusConnects and Connecting Ireland, will go a long way towards achieving these goals by helping to improve people's quality of life and helping to grow the economy in both urban and rural areas through the provision of improved transport links. I believe that with the work that has been done in recent years and with these plans, which all contributors here today have agreed are essential to achieving a comprehensive public transport system that we wish to provide, we will achieve the goal to build a more efficient framework for the provision of public transport in Ireland.

Deputy James O'Connor has asked me to clarify his remarks on the planning process, which were referred to by Deputy Catherine Connolly. Deputy O'Connor had referred to the White Paper response on page 2 and his concerns about the delivery of major transport projects. Indeed, the planning framework around major infrastructural projects is also the subject of a review, which will conclude in the coming weeks.

I thank all Members for their inputs this evening and I look forward to pursuing the issues that have been raised.

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