Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach and I thank Senator Dolan for her question. I am delighted to be here today on behalf of the Minister for Transport, and I understand the Senator's question relates to the roll-out of the Connecting Ireland plan more generally, but also specifically regarding route 23 between Athlone and Ballinasloe. I know she mentioned a few other routes too.

The Department of Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding of public transport. However, the Department is not involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services nationally. It is the NTA, the National Transport Authority, that has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally by way of contracts, and for the allocation of associated funding to the relevant transport operators. I reassure Senator Dolan that the Government is dedicated to providing the public with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options, and public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal. The Minister for Transport is obviously very conscious of the need to connect people and places across Ireland. It is important to provide opportunities for all citizens to access employment, education, healthcare or retail.The Minister is strongly committed to improving public transport services in rural areas and piloting new transport initiatives for people of all ages and abilities living there. Whether it is reduced car dependency or a more integrated transport network, our vision for rural Ireland is ambitious and one that is central to his Department's work programme for 2023.

The Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan supports this ambition, with its core aims being improvement of public transport services in rural areas and piloting of new transport initiatives for all. Under this pivotal plan we will see a 25% overall increase in rural bus services, over 100 rural villages benefiting from a frequent public transport service of at least three return trips daily for the first time and over 60 new connections to regional cities from surrounding areas. Importantly, the ethos of community-led transport will also be maintained. This has already been seen in the adaptation of the Connecting Ireland proposals in supporting the increased demands for public transport in local areas where the population has increased due to the high influx of Ukrainian refugees.

In relation specifically to the Senator's question on services connecting Athlone and Ballinasloe, I am happy to clarify that regional corridor 23 is currently served by a number of express and multi-stop services between Galway and Dublin. As a part of upcoming Connecting Ireland phases, the National Transport Authority, NTA, plans to review services on this corridor in the years 2024 and 2025 to assess the possibility of an increased frequency of services and better integration. While it is not currently planned to introduce new or enhanced services along the R446, the old Dublin to Galway road, between Athlone and Ballinasloe, the Department and the NTA remain agile and flexible in their management of the programme, so that where implementation can be kept under review and where progress could be impacted, other plans can be advanced instead. The NTA also publishes updates on the implementation of these services in its quarterly bulletin, which can be found on its website.

It is also important to note there are currently a number of routes operated from Athlone to Galway. We have the Citylink services 660, 760 and 761 with nine services per day to Ballinasloe. There is the AirCoach 706 express, with a number of services per day to Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe, and the GoBus 720. The Senator is shaking her head at that. It differs from her experience. She can let me know and I will come back to her on it.