Results 6,841-6,860 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Greenways Provision (2 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: -----has been retained. There is another investment proposal that should get priority, namely, a rail line running from Portadown west through Dungannon, Omagh, Strabane, Letterkenny and Derry. That would have huge benefits for all the towns along that route and for connecting Letterkenny to Derry, which is a critical investment priority. That should be the priority, rather than...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rail Network (2 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: There were stations at Cratloe and Crusheen. Reading the background on it, they were used right into the 1980s, and 1990s even, mainly for freight or if there was a big match day, or whatever, to get to Thurles. That is in living memory. It is not as if there is not a station there. We would need to upgrade, obviously, and put in proper platforms. It is not that expensive. The big...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rail Network (2 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: The latter is a complex issue and I do not have details of it here. I do not have an update but I will try and come back to the Deputy with more information with regard to that. With the introduction of the assembly up North, and even if that does not take place, we will have to look at some mechanism of advancing the strategic rail review. It sets out recommendations in respect of line...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Greenways Provision (2 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: Some €63 million has been allocated by my Department to Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, this year for the delivery of its greenway programme. Of this, €4.65 million has been allocated to Galway County Council and €790,000 to Sligo County Council for greenway projects under their remit. Two TII-funded greenways are currently being progressed between Athenry and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Greenways Provision (2 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I am not aware of the exact number of those options. It may be five, as the Deputy suggests, but it certainly is a range of different options, including running alongside a rail line and other greenfield routes. Any such process goes through a public consultation process. The timing here could be fortuitous. Fundamentally, what I see happening is the strategic rail review coming before...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Rail Network (2 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I have responsibility for policy and overall funding of public transport, including the rail network. The operation, maintenance and renewal of that rail network and stations, including the former stations at Cratloe and Crusheen, is a matter for Iarnród Éireann in the first instance. The Deputy will be aware that the Programme for Government: Our Shared Future commits to a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Bus Services (2 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: BusConnects programmes will be substantially delivered in all five of Ireland’s cities by the end of the decade. BusConnects Dublin is the most advanced of the five programmes. The programme preliminary business case and the detailed project brief for next generation ticketing were approved by Government in March 2022. This approval gave decision gate 1 approval to the programme in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Bus Services (2 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I know the area and I recall the public consultation on the various different routes. There was a lot of controversy and many different views. The new route arrangements we have introduced, including the H-spine and the C-spine, are working. We have seen a big increase in the number of people using the bus. It has worked. There have been difficulties in other areas. As the Deputy...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Bus Services (2 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: In my experience, the NTA has always been good at meeting public representatives. Can I say-----

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Bus Services (2 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I will ask the NTA to meet public representatives because it is important that Members of the Dáil, in particular, have access and are able to represent their communities. I will mention one other factor. We are already seeing a big increase in bus use as a result of the network redesign. A twin part of the approach is that we will put in 16 corridors, which will make that network...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Projects (2 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: In the context of the National Roads Programme capital budget, which is provided by my Department to TII, significant funding has been provided towards the improvement of the N71 since 1994, funding a variety of improvement schemes. TII has provided my Department with details of a number of schemes that are relevant to the route. One proposed scheme is an extension to the existing Bandon...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Taxi Licences (2 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: As the Deputy is aware, the independent transport regulator, the National Transport Authority (NTA), is the licensing authority for small public service vehicles (SPSVs) and An Garda Síochána is the licensing authority for the drivers of SPSVs. I have no role in the day-to-day operations of the SPSV sector. In July 2021, the NTA increased the 12 month period that a taxi,...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Transport (2 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: While Covid-19 undoubtedly had a profound impact on the public transport sector, I am pleased to advise that Ireland is an international outlier in terms of recovery, with passenger numbers now at or above pre-pandemic levels. This trend is particularly prevalent at weekends, where demand is in the region of 125% of pre-Covid numbers. By way of illustration, last week saw over 3.2 million...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Policy (2 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: The Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options, and public transport plays a key role in this. Initiatives such as Bus Connects and Connecting Ireland, as well as continued investment in active travel, are encouraging more people to migrate from their cars to more sustainable modes of transport. All public transport...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services (2 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: Under the National Development Plan 2021-2030, the BusConnects programmes will be substantially delivered in all of Ireland’s five cities by the end of the decade. Not only will these programmes significantly enhance the quality of bus transport in our cities, they also include the development of high-quality cycle lanes. The National Transport Authority (NTA) completed the process...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Costs (2 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: As you know Deputy, a number of fare initiatives were introduced in 2022. This is in line with this Government’s responsibility to encourage modal shift and to benefit public transport passengers. These initiatives, such as the 20% average fare reduction on PSO services and the Young Adult Card on PSO and participating commercial services, will continue until the end of 2023. ...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Network (2 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: As the Deputy is aware, the Strategic Rail Reviewis currently being undertaken in cooperation with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. It will inform the development of the railway sector on the Island of Ireland over the coming decades. The Reviewis considering the future of the rail network with regard to the following ambitions: improving sustainable connectivity between...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Cycling Policy (2 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: In accordance with the relevant legislation, I recently approved the Greater Dublin Area Transport Strategy 2022-2042 prepared by the National Transport Authority (NTA). This Strategy includes an objective stating that: “[t]he NTA will support the provision of electric bike share schemes, appropriately integrated in the overall bike share scheme structure for the region.” The...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Management (2 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: In recent years and particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, many local authorities have sought to implement certain traffic and transport related measures on roads and streets. The types of measures developed included widening of footpaths to accommodate social distancing, development of temporary cycling facilities, enhancing pedestrian movement including additional pedestrianisation,...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Transport (2 Mar 2023)

Eamon Ryan: As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling and timetabling of these services in...