John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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188. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the projects and programmes that will be funded in 2018; the cost resulting from the announcement in budget 2018 of the €770 million multi-annual capital envelope supporting the BusConnects programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44289/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I have secured funding of over €400 million for investment in public transport in 2018.  This increased funding will allow rollout of a number of key programmes to address congestion and emerging capacity constraints on our public transport system across our cities.  This includes:

- Commencing rollout of the BusConnects programme;

- Planning and design work for new urban cycling and walking routes in our main cities.  This will pave the way for an intensive construction programme commencing substantially in 2019;

- Additional Luas capacity, with additional trams and longer trams on the Luas network;

- Maintaining the heavy rail network to protect investment already made in our national railway system;

- Progressing the City Centre Re-signalling Project to improve speeds on mainline rail and the new rail Central Traffic Control Centre.

- Continuing the programme of retro-fitting older, existing public transport facilities to improve their accessibility features;

- Traffic management, bus priority and other smarter travel projects in our cities.

- Piloting of emerging low emission technologies, particularly for buses, and also measures to encourage the transition of the national taxi fleet towards alternative fuels and technologies;

- Planning and design work for new Metro North. 

Budget 2018 provided a four-year capital envelope for public transport of over €2.7 billion to 2021. As I have previously outlined to the Deputy, this includes a multi-annual capital envelope of over €770 million for the BusConnects programme. This significant funding will enable us to put in place the kind of bus system that is needed to cater for Ireland’s future economic growth and growing transport needs, with high quality infrastructure and services, coupled with major improvements in ticketing and information, all providing a modern, faster, reliable, convenient and attractive public transport solution.