James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The proposed route will have to go through it and that is the difficulty. As I understand it, the Deputy's proposal uses the existing greenway infrastructure, which would avoid the bottleneck pinch point at Castlemartyr. That is clear. It is not so much that it is being said that it is not possible but that it is not desirable, which is naturally slightly different. I hear what the Deputy has said. The view of the Department is that the 31X provides that connectivity alongside the other services that are being rolled out in the area. I ask the Deputy to send me that proposal because I will study it and bring it back to TII and the NTA and see what their view on it is. As I said, a number of services are being rolled out. Eleven sustainable transport corridors in the Cork area are being rolled out at the moment, with consultation concluding last December. There was positive stakeholder engagement. They seem to be popular and seem to provide the right service in the right places. The business case for BusConnects Cork will progress shortly. I mentioned the redesigned bus routes across the Cork metropolitan area, which will be part of the Connecting Ireland programme, which will follow shortly also. As I mentioned, the Cork metropolitan area transport strategy is progressing, with significant elements of strategy around the Cork region.

The Cork area commuter rail programme is significant. We are seeing new rail services not just in Dublin but also in Cork and around the country, which is a really positive thing. It is great to see that. This is probably the largest investment in the rail network in Cork ever undertaken by the State. Phase 1 of the Cork area commuter rail programme is progressing well, with works on a new through platform at Kent Station, a resignalling of the network and double tracking from Glounthaune to Midleton, with the track to be complete by 2026. They are all positive moves to get people in the region moving in an efficient and environmentally friendly way on public transport. I thank the Deputy for his suggestion. I invite him to submit the business case or proposal to me for further study, which I will then take to the Department. I might return to the Deputy in due course to see whether this is something that can be progressed. I hear the opportunity it presents and I am open to the idea. Let us see whether we can take it further.

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