Seanad debates

Wednesday, 19 December 2018

10:30 am

Photo of Lorraine Clifford LeeLorraine Clifford Lee (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for attending to discuss the very important matter of severe congestion on the northern commuter line which runs right through north County Dublin to bring commuters from Europe's fastest growing population area right into the city every day to work or access education and healthcare facilities. There are serious levels of congestion on the line now, in particular in and around Donabate where I live. By the time the train gets to Donabate during peak times, it is already at capacity and it is very difficult to even board. When people manage to get on, conditions on the trains are not acceptable.

Fingal is the fastest growing area in Europe and we are absorbing a lot of the housing need in north County Dublin. Planning is taking place to build thousands of houses in Donabate in particular as well as in every town and village in north County Dublin. People move to north County Dublin to access housing and a high quality of life. While that high quality of life can be had there, commuting conditions are a serious issue. People move to Donabate because there is a train station in the village which is very useful for commuting into the city. However, many people who move to the village do not realise that trains are at capacity. There has been a 5% increase in passenger numbers on the northern line year on year. People who have been living in Donabate for a long number of years are distressed at the capacity issues.

I ask the Minister to prioritise the northern line. Ring-fenced funding is required to provide extra carriages as an immediate solution but we also need more direct buses to provide for peak-time commuting to the city centre. People cannot access trains as it is and are getting up earlier and earlier just to squeeze on. It is having a severe impact on the quality of life of people in Donabate and right across north County Dublin, including Rush, Lusk, Skerries and Balbriggan, and it is not acceptable. The M1 is congested as it is and the road infrastructure around north County Dublin is at bursting point. We face a real crisis. I want the Minister to come to Donabate with me to see for himself the conditions people have to endure. People are at breaking point. I want him to see first-hand what is happening and to provide an immediate solution for the people of Donabate and north County Dublin more generally.

Photo of Shane RossShane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I thank Senator Clifford-Lee for raising this problem which is one I am familiar with in my own constituency and a lot of other areas. Transport is crowded in certain areas. In some ways, it is a problem we should welcome in that it means there are far more people going to work and there is greater demand for public transport. However, I agree that there are difficulties about capacity and that there are too many passengers for too few carriages in certain areas. It is something we are addressing, as is the National Transport Authority, or NTA, with growing energy and as quickly as possible.

The NTA has statutory responsibility for the planning and delivery of transport infrastructure and services in the greater Dublin area, including in consultation with larnród Éireann for the provision of rail fleet. The NTA's transport strategy for the greater Dublin area for 2016 to 2035 provides the overarching framework for the planning and delivery of transport infrastructure and services in the greater Dublin area over the next two decades. The National Development Plan, or NDP, provides a national level framework for the delivery of transport infrastructure over the next ten years. Both the NTA's statutory transport strategy and the NDP provide for the DART expansion programme, with the NDP committing €2 billion in Exchequer funding to the programme and prioritising the delivery of the non-tunnel elements for delivery by 2027. As part of that programme, the northern line will be electrified. Electrification as far as Balbriggan is expected to be delivered by 2022. The proposed enhancements to the heavy rail system will create an integrated rail network which will deliver a very substantial increase in peak-hour capacity on all commuter lines in the greater Dublin area, including the northern line.

Public transport passenger number have increased in recent years, reflecting broader economic and employment growth. Rail passenger numbers have similarly increased across the network and in particular on the commuter network in the greater Dublin area. While these increases are welcome, they clearly place pressure on the capacity of the network. The NTA and larnród Éireann have made and are continuing to make service and infrastructure improvements to address these pressures. In September this year, the DART moved toward a ten-minute service during the core operating day. Since the introduction of the new services, the NTA and Iarnród Éireann have monitored the impact on the broader commuter network and made adjustments as necessary in response to any issues identified. A number of additional services in the morning peak period on the northern side of the network have recently been approved and these will provide additional capacity. All peak-time DART services are now operated using six or eight car train sets which will provide a moderate increase in capacity. In addition, the revised timetable launched at the start of the month means additional off-peak capacity has been added to the northern line to provide passengers with additional travel options throughout the day.These are all immediate measures which will enhance overall capacity but, obviously, other medium and long-term measures are required.

Key to all of this is the provision of additional rail fleet. In the medium term, it had been hoped to refurbish a number of older trains with a view to their reintroduction to service. However, following a tender process, the overall cost of the refurbishment tripled as compared with initial estimates. The refurbishment proposal simply does not represent value for money. However, the need for additional rail fleet remains and the NTA and larnród Éireann have begun a process of identifying the potential of acquiring second-hand rail fleet by means of either lease or purchase. The Senator may be aware that this is complicated by the fact that the Irish rail network operates to a different gauge than that of the UK and most other European countries and that any second-hand vehicles would require modification for Irish use. A decision on the viability of the second-hand vehicle option will be made shortly, following market availability and procurement options analysis.

In the longer term, and as part of the DART expansion programme, there is a need to increase the fleet significantly in any event. Work on developing tender documentation and train specifications for the proposed bi-mode fleet of rail vehicles is progressing. The formal procurement notice seeking interested train manufacturers is expected to issue before year end, and a formal contract for the new fleet is expected to be signed in 2019.

As can be seen, a number of measures are either already in place or planned. These measures are designed to deal with the increased numbers of passengers availing of services on our rail network. I am confident that the improvements planned in the short, medium and long term will enhance services along this important commuter line.

Photo of Lorraine Clifford LeeLorraine Clifford Lee (Fianna Fail)
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Most of what the Minister stated relates to the DART line. This is of no use to people living in Donabate, Rusk, Lusk, Skerries or Balbriggan because they are not on the DART line. The Minister indicated that he expects the DART to be expanded as far as Balbriggan by 2022, but we have been hearing that for many years. The date keeps getting pushed out further. As a result, I do not believe anyone will get any comfort from the answer in that regard. The other commuter lines will be electrified before the northern line. Is there any capacity to use the fleet on the other lines and move it onto the northern line just to add some extra carriages to the trains already operating on it? The Minister also indicated that "A formal contract for the new fleet is expected to be signed in 2019." When will this fleet actually be operational?

Photo of Denis O'DonovanDenis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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We are over the time allocated. I ask the Minister to be brief.

Photo of Shane RossShane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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Those are all operational matters. I will refer them to the NTA.

Photo of Denis O'DonovanDenis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Short and sweet. That concludes the Minister's work.