Dáil debates
Tuesday, 5 December 2023
Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate
Bus Services
Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing this Topical Issue to be taken and the Minister of State for being here at such a late hour. I am delighted to bring proceedings to a close. It has been a very long day in Dáil Éireann.
This is a major issue for the people of Loughrea town. It has been for a considerable period ever since July 2021, when Bus Éireann decided to completely withdraw its X20 service, which is essentially the Expressway service connecting Dublin city to Galway city. It passed regularly to and from Loughrea town every day. That service was then cancelled. It was a purely commercial decision taken by Bus Éireann. It said the route was not viable and it would no longer be able to operate it. Thankfully, the good people at Citylink, a private entity, stepped into the breach and vacuum, and the company has done sterling work in providing a service to the best of its ability.
At this point, however, we have a situation whereby a large town, which between the town itself and its immediate environs, has a population of approximately 8,000 people, has exceptionally poor public service transport connectivity between it and its neighbouring city, Galway. This is so much so that from 6.30 p.m. there is no further public transport service connecting Galway city to Loughrea. A student, worker, or somebody who wants to spend some time in his or her local city socialising in the evening may get into Galway city but will certainly have no way home and will be stranded. That is affecting so many people in how they interact with their local city. We know from CSO data that of those 8,000 people, approximately 700 to 800 of them commute to Galway city every day for either work or study.
At a time when we are quite rightly seeking to encourage and persuade people to effect that important modal shift to leave their cars at home and avail of public service transport, we find ourselves in a situation where the people in Loughrea town who might choose to do exactly that are left with no option but to take their car or remain at home and not make that visit to their local city. Loughrea, at this point, is a de facto suburb of Galway city. As I said, it has about 8,000 people. It is roughly a 20- to 25-minute drive from Loughrea to Galway city. In Dublin, for example, there are many such suburbs that enjoy far greater and far more efficient connectivity between them and their capital city. There is no reason whatsoever Loughrea should not enjoy the same support as regards public transport.
I have met the CEO of the National Transport Authority to impress upon her the urgency of resolving this matter. It requires her and the NTA, with the support of the Department of Transport, to invest in a PSO option or subsidy that would extend the service beyond 6.30 p.m. so that people can and should avail of that service.
I regularly use the Galway to Dublin train service and with the recent reduction in fares and the huge reliability and frequency of services between Athenry and Dublin, I find that train is packed for the seven days of the week. It proves conclusively that if people are provided with a reliable, efficient and cost-effective public transport option, they will use it but, sadly, at this point in time the people of Loughrea have no such option in terms of connectivity with their local city.
Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
I thank Deputy Cannon for raising this very important topic, which I know he has a great interest in and has been fighting for. From the outset, I would like to clarify that the Minister for Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding for public transport but neither the Minister nor his officials are involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services. The statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally rests with the National Transport Authority. The NTA works with the public transport operators, which deliver the services and which have responsibility for day-to-day operational matters.
That said, I reassure Deputy Cannon that the Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options and public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal. To support this objective, in budget 2023, the Department of Transport secured €563.55 million of funding for public service obligation, PSO, and Transport for Ireland, TFI, Local Link services, an increase from €538 million in 2022. More recently, under budget 2024, a funding package of circa €611.813 million has been secured for PSO and Local Link services. This includes funding for the continuation of the 20% fare reduction on PSO services, the young adult card on both PSO and commercial bus services, and the 90-minute fare until the end of 2024. Funding has also been secured to support new and enhanced bus and rail services next year.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Government is committed to improving public transport and is backing up that commitment with significant investments across the network. I understand that the majority of public transport links between Loughrea and Galway city are provided by two commercial operators, with some linkages with the PSO network in the city. The main service currently available to passengers is Citylink's bus route 763 between Galway Coach Station and Dublin Airport, which operates nine times daily. Passengers can also travel between Loughrea and Galway on Healy Bus's 920 service which operates four times daily between Galway and Loughrea. Bus Éireann also operates the 404 bus route from Eyre Square to Newcastle and the 409 bus route from Eyre Square to Parkmore Industrial Estate at ten or 15 minute intervals throughout the day, which passengers can transfer from at GMIT to one of the services provided by Healy Bus.
I further understand that BusConnects Galway will be a major enhancement to the bus system in Galway, comprising changes to the network, bus fleet, ticketing, bus shelters and poles, and the development of bus lanes and other bus priority measures. The largest part of the programme is the development of bus priority measures and bus lanes throughout the city. Key elements of that programme are currently under development, namely the cross-city link project and the Dublin Road scheme. The Salmon Weir Bridge for pedestrians and cyclists was also officially opened to the public in May. The Salmon Weir Bridge project is a new pedestrian and cycle bridge located between Gaol Road and Newtownsmith in Galway city centre and crosses the Lower Corrib river adjacent to the existing Salmon Weir Bridge.
The cross-city link is a 6.7 km scheme that aims to create a sustainable transport corridor from the north east of Galway to the north west, crossing the Salmon Weir Bridge. It includes the creation of a dedicated bus gate over the Salmon Weir Bridge, reallocation of road space away from private vehicles, and the provision of segregated cycling infrastructure and upgraded pedestrian facilities. Once complete, bus routes will be modified to use the high-quality corridor and create an interchange hub at Eyre Square.
The Dublin Road scheme will deliver 4 km of high-quality pedestrian, cyclist and public transport infrastructure along a key transport corridor on the east of the city, from the Martin roundabout to Moneenageisha junction.
I also reassure Deputy Cannon that the Department of Transport, the NTA and the operators are working to ensure the optimised deployment of resources across the public transport network to match changing passenger demand patterns.
Additionally, under budget 2024, the Department has allocated €15 million for the development of Ceannt Station and €1.5 million for the development of Oranmore Station.
Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
I thank the Minister of State. The Ceann Comhairle outlined earlier the tendency at times for departmental officials to abdicate responsibility in certain policy areas and I think this opening statement attempts to do that at the very beginning. It clarifies that the Minister for Transport and his officials are not involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services, but they do set the policy. They do set parameters and targets. I have great admiration for the work the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, is doing in this area and he has set very ambitious targets for effecting that modal shift and getting people out of their cars and onto public transport. However, if the people of Loughrea have no option to do so in the latter part of each day, after 6.30 p.m., the NTA is failing in its responsibility to implement that policy. I strongly argue that the Minister has a responsibility to ensure that those charged with delivering public transport options across the country need to be held to account by him and his officials.
The Minister of State also outlined that a funding package of €611 million was secured, which is again most welcome work on the part of the Minister for PSO and Local Link services. I have been arguing for quite a long time now that the PSO support needs to be extended to an operator. The Minister of State has outlined that there are two operators on the service already: Citylink and Healy Bus. Why can they not be asked if they are willing to operate a service later in the evening for the people of Loughrea and, if so, that the Department is willing to subsidise them? I know there may be issues around tendering and state aid but I am sure we could streamline the process to the greatest possible extent.
The latter part of the reply again outlines some very welcome developments that are happening in Galway city, completely unrelated to the lack of connectivity between Loughrea and the city. I thank the Minister of State for being here. I urge him to engage with the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and to impress upon him the importance of putting in place an adequate bus and public transport link between Galway city and a town approaching 8,000 people so that people can get home after 6.30 p.m. in the evening. That is all we are asking for. It cannot be that difficult to achieve in a country with the resources we have and with the clever people we have working in the provision of public transport.
Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
I thank Deputy Cannon for putting a very robust case on the record of the House. I will relay that to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and his thoughts on the content of the response from the Department on the policy perspective and the delivery of key services to his community.
The Minister for Transport believes in expanding the public transport network and increasing service levels throughout the country in the ways set out in policies like Connecting Ireland and BusConnects.
The Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan 2022-2025 is a major national public transport initiative with the aim of increasing public transport connectivity, particularly for people living outside the major cities and towns. More than 100 rural villages will benefit from frequent public transport service, at least three return trips daily, for the first time. The plan will also see a 25% overall increase in rural bus services, and more than 60 new connections to regional cities from surrounding areas.
Collectively, these measures will not only further improve connectivity in the area but will provide viable alternatives to the private car for those living in the region. In addition to the plans under BusConnects, I understand that at present, the NTA's park and ride office has identified two optimal locations in close proximity to junction 19 on the N6 for new park-and-ride facilities which are currently being explored. Planning for enhanced infrastructure to facilitate the expansion of rail-based park and ride at Oranmore Station is separately being undertaken by Irish Rail in conjunction with the NTA's park and ride office. These two strategic park-and-ride locations will be served by a new dedicated bus services. This new service will require some additional bus priority to connect with the proposed Galway BusConnects proposal but, in the large, will use significant sections of the proposed Galway BusConnects to access the city centre. This will provide additional transport options to people commuting to Galway city.
Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
I thank all the Deputies who tabled Topical Issues and the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, for being here to deal with them.