Joe Neville (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

Today I welcome our new infrastructure plan, which will shape the future of Ireland. Our many goals include fast-tracking planning for critical projects and reforming judicial reviews to stop endless delays. I want to highlight one project that has not been subject to a judicial review but seems to have come off the rails and has been delayed now for four years. The DART+ South West project seems to have been put out until 2030. Today we heard that the M50 is officially full and this would have taken the pressure off. This project will be a game changer for the areas of north Kildare and west Dublin. Considering the growth of population and the proposed growth of these areas, we need to ensure this rail project gets back on track. Areas such as west Dublin and north Kildare have not been found wanting in housing development but we need the critical infrastructure to go with this. I ask the Taoiseach to raise this issue with the Minister for Transport and ensure the timetable for 2030 is brought back to 2026, as it was before.

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