Tom Morrissey (Progressive Democrats)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and, more important, the legislation. We should thank the interim commission which has been dealing with the issue for a number of years. I would like to raise a few aspects in this regard, which I am pleased the Minister of State raised in his speech. This relates to the type of model we hope to mirror. My concern was that much of the legislation would be based on the UK model and experience. We know the dreadful history of the UK model. At a time of unprecedented investment in the railway network, we must not underestimate investment in safety procedures. I am pleased that the Minister of State assured us he will not follow the experience of any particular country. My concerns would be increased greatly if we modelled ourselves on the UK experience.

The second issue I wish to address is the level of investment. In recent years, approximately €650 million has been invested in this area. Given the improvement in intercity and suburban train services, including the Spencer Dock project, there must be further investment in the many level crossings throughout Dublin in particular. These crossings close for approximately four minutes at peak times because of the signalling. Signalling operations in Coolmine, where I live, and other areas must be examined because people know that if they are caught, they will be delayed for four minutes, and there is a temptation to make a dash before the light turns red. We must examine level crossings in urban areas such as Dublin and Cork, including the Midleton line. When travelling here yesterday, I saw two cars blocking the Luas at Queen Street. An ambulance, which had its blue light flashing, was also blocked. Everyone was stuck because the traffic on the quays was blocked. The safety issue cannot be overestimated.

The other aspect in which I would urge caution is in the area of regulation, which can stifle business. It is important that responsibility for safety should remain with the operators and the responsibility of the commission should not extend into that area. In the end, the buck should stop with the various operators. There is a major difference between the various operators. There is a limit on the number of people Dublin Bus can allow to sit and stand on a double-decker bus because of axle weights. However, there is no such limit on suburban trains. I asked the inspectorate to examine the Maynooth line and it said there was no health and safety case to be answered. This is a matter of great concern to the general public. This morning, I travelled into town by car rather than taking the 7.20 a.m. train from Castleknock. Why would one not take the train which costs just €3.20 return? It is because there is no space. At least one has space in one's car. One might have to travel on a gridlocked road, but one will take one's chances.

I hope that as a result of Transport 21 the uncomfortable travel arrangements endured by too many people will come to an end. People may think that public transport is stress-free and travelling by car is stressful, but it is currently as stressful to use public transport during peak times. I hope that over the next couple of years we will see an end to the dreadful practice of overcrowding on trains.

Another issue that must be examined is how people get to and from trains. Access to and egress from railway stations throughout Dublin is less than safe. We do not have proper pedestrian bridges. Some old bridges are preserved structures, therefore, footpaths cannot be built across them and they cannot be widened or made higher. Given the increasing numbers of people who will be using public transport as a result of the increased investment, there is a breakdown of communications between local authorities and Irish Rail in regard to who has responsibility for this issue. This is another area I would like to see addressed.

In welcoming Transport 21, the Government should be congratulated on putting forward a package that focuses attention and public debate on how the service can be delivered speedily. During the past two or three years, commuters have been experiencing levels of traffic which the DTO forecast for 2015. We have already reached this level and investment is that many years behind. While this is a ten-year plan, I hope the sequencing can be tweaked to bring parts of it forward. There is nothing like competition to force operators to get on with the job. While a lot of money is being invested in roads, the metro and Luas, it is unfortunate that so little is being invested in buses under the plan. Competition might force better sequencing. The longer the delivery time, the greater chance there is of not delivering on the plan. The success of the plan will depend on early delivery of services, because this is what the public will buy into.

I welcome this Bill. The continued investment in our railways to ensure safety has to be paramount. Discussions must take place with the unions on the issue of intoxication. At what stage is safety taken seriously if people put in charge of public transport are not alcohol and drug free? Public investment in transport must come with reform of work practices. There must be zero tolerance on the issue of substance abuse in public transport.