Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senators for the opportunity to speak to the Seanad about the importance of public transport. I am taking this debate today on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, who could not be here.

I am confident we can all agree that it is essential that Government continues to invest in the public transport network, and that we are supportive of the Government's commitment towards delivering an accessible, affordable and reliable public transport network throughout the country. I can confirm that Government is not opposing the motion which has been brought forward this evening. However, while the overall objective of this motion is broadly in line with the principles of this Government, there are some issues within the motion which require clarification, and which will be highlighted this evening.

As Senators will be aware, 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 key Government objective, in budget 2022, the Department of Transport secured approximately €538 million of funding for public service obligation, PSO, and Local Link services provided by State operators and under contract by the NTA this year. More recently, €563 million has been secured as part of the budget 2023 negotiations for the continued improvement of these services. In order to incentivise young people to use public transport, funding was secured for the introduction of a young adult card, which allows any person nationwide who is between 19 and 23 years of age to avail of a 50% discount on all PSO services and since September, also on participating commercial services. This initiative was recently widened to allow 16 to 18-year-old third level students to apply for the student Leap card so that they can also avail of the discount. Furthermore, in order to help combat the rising cost of living being experienced throughout the country, Government introduced a 20% average fare reduction on PSO services. The recently agreed budget 2023 helps support our transport objectives and is a further positive development for public transport passengers across the country. We have extended the 20% fare reduction on PSO services so that everyone will benefit until the end of 2023. Equally, we have extended the 50% reduction available for young adults on both PSO and commercial bus services until the end of 2023 and we are supporting new and enhanced bus and rail services throughout 2023 as well. These are all part of the €563 million funding package to support PSO services. That package is hugely significant in the context of providing accessible and affordable transport options.

With regard to the short hop zones, given the current cost-of-living crisis and various pressures on the Exchequer across the system, budget 2023 is focused on delivering the maximum benefit for all passengers. Funding was, therefore, directed toward the fare initiatives and funding has not been provided within the budget to extend the short hop zones or to create new medium hop zones. However, the issues raised by Senators are acknowledged, and the NTA is examining what needs to be done to ensure that the distance-based fare outside the short hop zone is in line with the distance-based fare inside the short hop zone to ensure that the fares will be more equitable. This work is ongoing as part of a national fares review for rail and bus services. When the Leap card infrastructure was first introduced in 2011, it was necessary for the NTA to define the scope and scale of Leap card implementation for budgetary and project management purposes. The boundary of the greater Dublin area short hop zone was determined to be the limit of the deployment of Leap-enabled equipment on rail services, such as pole mounted smart card validators and station gates. Leap ePurse is, therefore, used for rail journeys within the greater Dublin area, as well as Cork commuter rail services on the Cork-Cobh and Cork-Midleton lines, and is very effective. However, it is less-well suited to longer distance trips and, therefore, higher fares. The NTA and Irish Rail are currently developing a mobile App ticketing option that will offer a digital payment service to longer distance commuters. As part of this work, it is likely that fares for commuter journeys of up to 50 km from Dublin city will see reductions. While it is not possible at this stage to determine individual fares, a consistent methodology will be applied to ensure that fares increase appropriately in line with distance travelled beyond the 90-minute fare boundary and to remedy the disparities which currently exist outside the short hop zone. It is expected that these proposals will form part of budget 2024's considerations. The NTA is also considering a more equitable distance-based fare system for the commuter rail network generally. This work is ongoing as part of a national fares review for rail and bus services. There is a view that rather than introducing a simple extension to short hop zone boundaries and effectively merely move the issue further down the network, a more equitable approach would be to ensure that the distance-based fares approach outside of the current short hop zones is in line with the distance-based fares approach within the current short hop zones. I acknowledge the motion has also thought about this issue with its proposal to introduce a new layer of zonal ticketing - the medium hop zone - but the fundamental issue would still arise. The issue is simply moved around the network. In the interim, the NTA has implemented the Government's 20% cost-of-living average fares reduction as part of its latest fares determination, which will continue to apply in 2023 on all subsidised PSO public transport services. Young adult fares are also now available on all PSO services, providing a 50% fares reduction compared to equivalent adult fares.

The Government also has ambitious plans for public transport infrastructure nationwide. The programme for Government commits to a "fundamental change in the nature of transport in Ireland" and this is supported by the national development plan which has allocated €35 billion to maintain, enhance and improve transport infrastructure across the country over the next ten years. The substantial investment in transport in recent years and the planned ramping up of major projects such as BusConnects in every city, Connecting Ireland in rural areas, the Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme, DART+ and MetroLink means that the national public transport landscape will continue to transform for the better in the coming years. Under Project Ireland 2040, spatial planning and capital investment are being linked together in a meaningful way, while significant levels of investment are being put towards new public and sustainable transport initiatives, as well as major new road projects. Furthermore, capacity on the Kildare, Maynooth and northern rail lines is being increased by more than 30% compared to today. In fact, the new railcars to achieve this increase have already started to arrive and will be entering service next year. The third phase of BusConnects was rolled out in May this year and introduced two new northern orbital routes: the N4, connecting Blanchardstown to Point Village; and N6, connecting Finglas with Howth Junction. More recently, phase 4 of BusConnects commenced on 16 October with the introduction of G spine routes G1, G2 and Route 60, operated by Dublin Bus.

Regarding our rail network, the strategic rail review, which is being undertaken in co-operation with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland, will inform the development of inter-urban-inter-regional rail on the island of Ireland over the coming decades. The review will be one of the most significant reviews of the rail network on the island in many years and will provide a framework to develop a much-improved rail network in the years ahead. The Department of Transport expects the review to be completed by the end of this year. The review will set the type of strategic backdrop to rail investment in our regions and on our mainline network and it is expected to be completed by the end of the year. This review will also consider the potential scope for improved rail services along the various existing or future potential corridors of the network, and that scope will include the potential afforded by disused and closed lines. It will be one of the most significant reviews of the rail network on the island in many years. The Government has ambitious plans for our national rail network and has committed to an extensive programme of capital investment projects over the coming years. These plans include projects such as the DART+ programme, which will create a full metropolitan DART network for Dublin, with all lines linked and connected. When completed, the DART expansion programme will provide high frequency electrified services to Maynooth, Hazelhatch, Drogheda and Greystones. As well as upgrades to the railway infrastructure, DART+ includes the purchase of new electric and battery-electric train fleet, along with provision of new depot and stabling facilities.Further, the draft transport strategy for the greater Dublin area 2016-2035 specifically identifies new rail stations at Cabra, Glasnevin, Heuston West, Kylemore, Woodbrook, west of Sallins, west of Louisa Bridge and west of Maynooth. Kishoge station will also open in the short term as development of the Clonburris strategic development zone is realised. Additionally, the Cork area commuter rail programme involves development and enhancements to the rail network over approximately 62 km from Mallow through Cork city and on to Cobh and Midleton. This will include electrification and re-signalling across the three main routes, primarily over existing alignments and an application for planning permission for phase 1 of this programme was recently lodged. Meanwhile, the east coastal railway infrastructure protection projects involve the identification and implementation of infrastructural protection strategies for Iarnród Éireann infrastructure on the east coast of Ireland.

The Government is committed to providing a comprehensive national transport network which connects our people and places. For this reason, this Government has an ambitious vision to transform transport services and infrastructure nationwide, with one of the key priorities for public transport being the roll-out of the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan. For example, under Connecting Ireland, the NTA is proposing an overall increase of approximately 25% in rural bus services as part of this five-year plan. Hundreds of rural villages and areas will for the first time be served by a viable public transport link. Service improvements are already being rolled out under Connecting Ireland, with more planned before the end of this year. The Seanad will be aware that Connecting Ireland will significantly increase both the number of routes and the frequency of existing services right across the country. Connecting Ireland aims to enhance existing services and introduce new public transport services. Implementation of this programme will continue at the pace as outlined by the Government and in line with the funding and operational resources available.

This motion is generally in line with the principles of this Government and is broadly acceptable in a number of its aspects, particularly its call to move toward a more equitable distance-based fare rate for commuter rail. As I have outlined, however, certain specific elements of the motion are unlikely to feature as part of any future equitable distance-based fare system. I assure the Seanad that the Government fully recognises the hugely important role that public transport plays in all our lives and is acutely aware of the concerns raised concerning public transport this evening. These ambitious investment plans in the public transport sector over the coming years, such as Dart+, BusConnects and Connecting Ireland, will go a long way towards achieving these goals.

Significant progress has been made this year with fare reductions and funding has been secured as part of the 2023 budget negotiations for the continuation of these initiatives to the benefit of public transport users throughout the country. Furthermore, the work the NTA is currently undertaking on distance-based public transport fares will help to address some of the issues raised this evening. l firmly believe that with the work done in recent years and our ambitious plans for public transport, we will build a much more efficient framework for the provision of public transport in Ireland. I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach and Senators for their time and contributions this evening.