Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I re-emphasise the potential of Limerick, but I think that potential exists in all Irish cities. It is not just about rail transport but also about developing bus networks and housing in conjunction with that.

I take the train, as does the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, to and from Dublin every week. We pass through Portlaoise and we can see that town developing at pace because of the opportunity provided by the rail service between Portlaoise and Dublin. Developers, that is, the private sector, are responding to the service that exists in Portlaoise and high-density and high-quality development is happening in places such as that.

There is potential throughout the country and that is in the context of the national planning framework. There will be an additional 1 million people in this country by 2040. We have to think about where they will live and we have to make it easy for them to get around. When we are making decisions about development, we should put that development where the high-capacity transport network is.

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