Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Absolutely. I have no difficulty with that and I said that. The Minister is one to engage and I am always happy to engage with him. I acknowledge his co-operation and engagement, which has never been a problem.

I am deeply concerned that the front-line staff and the passengers on all our public transport modes are exposed to the threats of sexual assault and aggressive drunken behaviour on the public transport network. Open drug taking, dealing and fighting should not have to be encountered by anyone. Our public transport should be safe to go on for anybody at any age at any time.

There are reports of blocked toilets and people shooting up drugs in our trains. Going west the other day, someone experienced an issue and told me about it. I have spoken to the general secretary of the National Bus and Rail Union, Dermot O'Leary, on numerous occasions and he has said enough is enough for his staff. He has been a strong advocate for safer travel for his staff and for the public. We want zero tolerance for crime on our transport systems and that is important.

I reiterate, as I did then, a call for a dedicated, fully resourced public transport police. I note that in the Minister's contribution today, he talked about the NTA and how that would require legislation. I also note our able and capable Minister for Justice last week talked about a policing service and stated "unless they have the powers to arrest, it's not really a functioning or effective transport police". As the Minister indicated, we can change the powers in respect of the NTA but I also wanted to share with him that during the election campaign, An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, was reported as stating "Garda management can no longer stand in the way of a dedicated transport police." I share his concerns and have spoken to him about it. I believe, today, that he believes there should be an extension of An Garda Síochána, not an extension of the NTA or new powers for the NTA that give full powers of arrest.

If you go to the UK, just one country, they have a dedicated transport police, which is part of the metropolitan police force. That is the model we should look at. We should not close any option off. That is what I am saying. Please keep that open - that is all I ask. It is a matter for the Government, ultimately, but there is a big difference between authorised officers under the NTA as opposed to a dedicated Garda transport policing division.

I share the views of the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and he will have another opportunity to outline his view but I share his view. I share the view of the general secretary of the transport workers' union and I also share and support the view of the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, in relation to these matters. That is an important issue to deal with.

The all-island strategic rail review is an important issue. There is vision and there are goals and objections. Clearly, we want better transport as the Minister says. Transport is a game changer. That is important. I had a look at this today in terms of the strategy of the all-island strategic transport review. There are key goals and key objectives and I ask the Minister to prioritise them. The Minister might come back to the House, and indeed, I might bring a Commencement matter for his attention, so we could set out the key goals and key objectives and let us move on. The Minister talks about an agenda for change for the next five years. Let us start that agenda for change this year in the first 12 months.The Minister is welcome. I thank my colleagues in Fianna Fáil for tabling this Private Members' motion this afternoon on the very important area of transport. It is clear that there has been considerable investment over the years and the decades but many more projects need to be brought to fruition. It is important that we see progress not only on delivery but also in terms of the planning. For those that have not been delivered, there needs to be at least a route and a plan towards their delivery.

The Minister mentioned the welcome investment in Ceannt station, Galway, which will be a game changer in the delivery of improved rail services for the city and the region. Hopefully it can allow for the expansion of the use of rail, including the commuter services from Oranmore into Galway city. I know there will be a passing loop at Oranmore station, but we need to consider doubling the track into the city and from Athenry into Oranmore to allow for commuter rail and to allow for the possible creation of commuter rail stations at various locations between Oranmore and the city. It would complement the existing services from Limerick and Ennis into Galway city.

The motion mentions the reinstatement of the western rail corridor, of which I am a big supporter. I acknowledge the work of West on Track over the years in supporting work on the western rail corridor. It is fair to say there is now a strong commitment to the reopening of the track from Athenry to Claremorris and the protection of the line on to Sligo. We need to see actual works on that. We have seen the investment in Foynes and the physical work that has taken place. We need to see machinery on the ground of that old railway line and we need to see the investment. It is an obvious project. There has been too much debate about greenways versus railway. It is now clear that this needs to be used to reopen the railway line and to have the commuter service along with facilities for park and ride at Tuam, Claremorris and elsewhere to free up the roads and provide a much more pleasant journey for commuters into Galway city than they have at present and also to link up with the Limerick line. I am fully supportive of that project.

The Gluas light rail or very light rail for Galway has been mentioned. I know there was a commitment relating to a feasibility study which has indicated that there are possibilities there. I am not sure if that has crossed the Minister's desk yet. Perhaps it is something he will be looking at. There are certain models in Coventry, for example, and there is capacity to look at very light rail between Oranmore and Galway and Barna and vice versa.

I wish to speak about BusConnects and local bus services. Obviously, there are BusConnects plans for Galway. We have had some investment in bus lanes over the years. I know that the Dublin Road scheme has gone to and been approved by An Bord Pleanála. I hope to see progress on that. It will involve some disruption during construction but the project will be very important in improving the bus capacity in Galway. If the buses are frequent, reliable and comfortable for passengers, they will be used. Comfort also includes proper bus shelters, which we have seen in certain areas in towns, but much more could be done across the country. Every town and village that has a main route should have the comfort of a bus shelter. The local authorities need to be funded and the NTA needs to assist in that provision. There are 12 bus shelters across County Galway which are very welcome. Most of them are in place now. We need to see that replicated every year to make the experience more pleasant for commuters.

There has been investment in the Local Link service. It is very welcome to have that service reliable. Again, there is no shortage of possible additions to routes that could be looked at. It would be very important in rural communities for people who do not drive or who maybe can drive but do not want to drive and want to be able to socialise. There are services for which there is demand but which are very infrequent. If that could be improved in conjunction with initiatives relating to school runs and things like that so that those buses are used throughout the day, that would be very welcome.

People might say it is counterintuitive to talk about the Galway city ring road, but the Galway city ring road is pivotal in freeing up capacity in Galway city for public transport needs. As long as cars that do not need and do not want to go through the city are going through the city, we will not have the capacity needed to allow for proper public transport networks and everything else that is needed, such as pedestrianisation, improved cycle lanes, improved cycling capacity and public transport routes within the city. I think that would be absolutely vital. I know that project is still with An Bord Pleanála. I know that there has been a commitment from both Government parties, which is very welcome. It is something I would like to see progressed. As I have often said at doors and on radio, if we get planning permission, I am confident that we will build the Galway city ring road but we cannot build anything without planning permission. I certainly hope to see progress on that over the course of this year.