Lorraine Clifford-Lee (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I second the motion. I am very happy that the Minister has attended. It is our first item of Private Members' business, which reflects the importance the Fianna Fáil Group is placing on transport. I was very happy to see that the Minister got this brief because I know he understands this issue, which is a top priority for the people of north County Dublin. I will raise a number of issues. Senator O'Loughlin touched on some of them. She laid out the core tenets of the motion very well. We need people to have faith and trust in our public transport network so we can move to a more modern way of connecting people and communities.

The Local Link bus service is a fantastic network that provides public transport for rural communities, which have always been left behind in that regard. Route 192, which links the towns of Balbriggan and Swords, goes through Balscadden, Naul, Oldtown, Ballyboughal and Roganstown and has been very well received. It is very well used by young and old alike and has given new life to rural communities. We definitely need new routes. The Government needs to continue to fund Local Link. As Senator O'Loughlin said, proposed new routes need to be prioritised, speeded up and delivered so people can live in a sustainable fashion in our rural towns and villages. In particular, a route I would like to see introduced is one from Ballyboughal to Lusk and Rush. That would service Lusk and Rush train station. The Minister is very familiar with these areas and the level of demand that is there, especially from students in Ballyboughal who wish to go to secondary school at Lusk on public transport, and people living in Ballyboughal who want to access supermarkets, doctors and cultural and social activities in the two towns I mentioned. That is a top priority of mine.

The issue of fairer fares that Senator O'Loughlin also touched on impacts Balbriggan and Skerries. These are towns that are absorbing a lot of housing. People want to access the city for jobs, university and cultural and social activities. They need to be given fairer fares without any further delay.

The Minister is very familiar with the long and sorry saga of MetroLink. Everybody in north County Dublin, whether they have been there 25 years, five years or five months, knows about the ins and outs of MetroLink. I was very happy to see a commitment to MetroLink in the programme for Government. This will be transformative not only for Swords, but for Dublin and the wider country. The very first stop on the proposed route will be at Lissenhall. There will be a massive park and ride facility there, which will open up access to MetroLink to the northern end of north County Dublin beyond it. It needs to be delivered. It will be transformative. I know the Minister is personally committed to the delivery of MetroLink, especially for north County Dublin. We have been absorbing the housing needs of Dublin and Ireland. Over the past number of months, there have been particular issues in respect of the quality of life for people occupying the new houses in the communities that are there. Of course, we needed houses. We are building houses and I am delighted to see such a good output of houses, but we need to build communities. Part of that is delivering safe, reliable and accessible public transport. MetroLink will play a key role in that.

The capacity on the northern line and the urgency of it is, again, an issue that the Minister will be very familiar with, given the housing numbers and proposed housing numbers in the area. The capacity on the northern line, especially in respect of Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush, Lusk and Donabate, needs to be looked at urgently. I know that the Minister has a personal commitment to that.

I look forward to working with the Minister on all our aims. If we are to develop as a modern, safe, efficient country that can deliver housing for its people, access to health services and education, and foster an entrepreneurial spirit in the country, we must have public transport infrastructure that is fit for purpose. I know the Minister will work very hard to deliver that.