Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)

I thank Deputy O'Gorman for bringing forward this motion. It is timely and important. While I join my colleagues in welcoming the rise in public transport use, I cannot ignore the serious and growing issue of capacity and overcrowding, particularly on the Luas red line, which serves many of my constituents in Dublin Central. It is not just a matter of inconvenience; it is a matter of safety and, at times, dignity for passengers, particularly those with additional needs such as wheelchair users, parents with buggies or older people. A constituent of mine recently shared her experience. At what she thought would be an off-peak time at 4.15 p.m., she took the Luas into town with her 18-month son. The first tram was so packed that they had to let it pass. They squeezed on to the second only to find the buggy and wheelchair spaces completely full. She had nowhere to hold on to, was forced to stand by the doors and was jostled throughout the journey.

I understand that these incidents can occur as a once-off on any form of public transport. However, this is a regular experience for commuters on the Luas red line. It happens every morning. This is the reality for far too many. People are being pushed off the system because it is not safe and accessible and does not work the way it should. I know traffic restrictions come into play around the city centre to encourage a modal shift and I welcome them but we cannot do so while leaving people with no viable alternative. If we want to be serious about public transport, we have to provide access to it for every user. We urgently need increased capacity, better design for accessibility and a passenger-first approach to service delivery on the Luas red line. Anything less than that means leaving people behind, which is not the standard that should be set for our transport system. The overcrowding on the Luas red line is not just a cause of discomfort; it is becoming an issue of public safety and accessibility failure.

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