Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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I am grateful for the opportunity to raise the important issue of the forthcoming temporary closure of weekend DART services to south Dublin and north Wicklow. There was no warning about this decision and no consultation with the people directly affected.

The decision, as yet unannounced by Iarnród Éireann, to close its weekend DART service on the south side of Dublin is a major shock to people living in my constituency, County Wicklow. The closure is due to begin on 3 June and a full service will not recommence until 19 September. It is unacceptable that the travelling public of Bray and Greystones are, yet again, being denied a proper public transport service. This is not the first time it has happened.

For almost a year my constituents were denied a full DART service. From autumn 2003 to June 2004, they had no weekend service. This had a negative impact on commuters and it had a serious impact on businesses in Bray that depend on the thousands of visitors who avail of public transport to visit the town. In particular, Bray seafront is a magnet for visitors from the greater Dublin area and from further afield.

I accept that remedial works are needed to make the service accessible for disabled people and nobody objects to any work that has such an objective. The questions raised, however, relate to how this problem has arisen and why we have no information about it. At last night's meeting of Bray Town Council, this issue was raised as a matter of urgency. The council had not been informed of the intentions of Iarnród Éireann to close down the service at weekends even though it is the premier authority in the town of Bray. This type of arrogance does nothing to enhance the reputation of Iarnród Éireann nor does the indication that there is no room for compromise on this issue.

Will the Minister for Transport intervene to ensure that there is minimum disruption to passengers and businesses in my community? Will he assess why this work could not have been carried out while the service was shut down over the past year? It stayed closed for a longer period than was expected but it also was opened on important holiday weekends. This was a concession granted to the travelling public after numerous complaints.

I urge the Minister for Transport to ensure that the minimum disruption possible is experienced as a result of this unilateral decision. There will be two bank holiday weekends over the time of closure, the June and August bank holidays. Surely it is possible to provide DART services over those weekends. There is also a strong case for the Minister to meet representatives of Dublin Bus to ensure additional bus services are provided during the period of disruption. It is disturbing that Dublin Bus has not been given the go-ahead for the extra buses that the service so desperately needs. The fact that the rail service will be so curtailed to thousands of people is surely grounds for a significant improvement in bus capacity to meet the needs of the people I represent who are not being well served by Iarnród Éireann. I thank the Minister for listening so intently to the case I am making on behalf of my constituents. I am glad he cares.

Ivor Callely (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy McManus for her kind words and for giving me the opportunity to discuss the DART upgrade project and its consequences. This week the Government announced the largest ever investment, €460 million, in the history of Iarnród Éireann. Separately, we are investing €176 million in DART services, which is the largest single investment since the DART was introduced in 1984. It is good news all around for the commuters to whom Deputy McManus referred. Passenger numbers have been increasing in each year since the service began and the system is almost at capacity. Iarnród Éireann has informed me that it will deliver a 33% increase in peak capacity on the service by the end of this year, thereby completing a five-year process which doubles peak capacity on the service.

Deputy McManus may not be aware that the project entails the lengthening of platforms to accommodate eight-carriage trains, renewal of overhead lines, enhancement of the power supply to operate eight-carriage trains, development of sidings to accommodate the expanded fleet and the improvement of accessibility in stations to facilitate mobility-impaired customers and the increased passenger numbers forecast in the years ahead. In addition to the DART upgrade project, €80 million has been spent on 40 new DART carriages to allow eight-car trains to operate. Iarnród Éireann decided that the most effective way to achieve its objectives with the least disruption was to close the line at weekends. This approach minimises the impact on customers and ensures the core Monday to Friday service is unaffected. The weekend closures allow Iarnród Éireann to carry out a week's work in two days by working round the clock.

Deputy McManus will be aware that from October 2003 to July 2004, excluding the weekends before Christmas, services were suspended between Pearse and Greystones stations. During that time, all platforms on the south side were lengthened and all overhead lines renewed. Similarly, from the August holiday weekend 2004 to the end of May 2005, weekend services are suspended between Pearse and Howth and Malahide stations. By May, all north side platforms will have been lengthened, all overhead lines renewed and all accessibility features completed. No further disruption to services on the north side is expected after that date.

From June 2005, it will be necessary to suspend services for a period of approximately three months between Pearse and Greystones on weekends to complete accessibility works, including the installation of lifts and ramps. When these works are completed in September 2005, no further disruption to customers is expected from the project. Remaining works, including electricity sub-station commissioning, completion of new station buildings at Howth Junction and Bayside and new sidings at Fairview to accommodate the expanded DART fleet will be completed by the end of 2005 without impacting on services. Once the work is completed, the benefits of a major increase in capacity will be delivered to DART customers.

Iarnród Éireann has stated that the methodology being employed is the only way the urgently needed capacity can be delivered quickly to the commuters of the greater Dublin area. A benefit of confining works impacting on services to weekends is that other public transport modes can cater for the smaller number of customers affected. Deputy McManus mentioned additional services, especially buses. Deputy McManus may not be aware that throughout the DART upgrade project, additional Dublin Bus services have operated on routes adjacent to the DART at weekends. This will be the case for the south side works this summer. Up to 25,000 additional customers were carried by Dublin Bus every weekend during the previous south side works. In addition, express coach links have been provided for intercity customers affected at weekends during the works on the Belfast and Sligo services during north side works and on the Rosslare route during the south side works.

Iarnród Éireann has publicised its intentions well in advance of any work that impacts on services. Notices have been placed in newspapers, on billboards and on board trains. Regular announcements are made over public address systems and on the real-time passenger information displays at all DART stations. I understand that all public representatives are kept apprised of the company's intentions.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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That is nonsense.

Ivor Callely (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I note Deputy McManus is indicating that she has not been informed.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Nobody else has either.

Ivor Callely (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I will ensure the Deputy receives the information. The previous Minister for Transport indicated in response to a parliamentary question as far back as last May that further work would be required on the south side. I understand that Iarnród Éireann has worked hard to keep Deputies from all parties fully informed of its intentions.

While it is regrettable that customers are impacted by such works, in such a large-scale project it is unavoidable. When the project is completed customers and businesses along the route will benefit from the significantly increased capacity of the service.