Written answers

Wednesday, 10 October 2018

Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport

Public Transport

Photo of John LahartJohn Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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213. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if all of the new Luas trams which have been delivered are in use and on the line on which they are used. [41432/18]

Photo of Shane RossShane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The issue raised is a matter for the National Transport Authority (NTA) in conjunction with Transport Infrastructure Ireland and Transdev and I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.

Photo of John LahartJohn Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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214. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the six Luas trams which were transferred from the Red to the Green line have been replaced in view of the fact that commuters along the Red line report significant overcrowding at some Red line Luas stops. [41433/18]

Photo of Shane RossShane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The issue raised is a matter for the National Transport Authority (NTA) in conjunction with Transport Infrastructure Ireland and Transdev and I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.

Photo of John LahartJohn Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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215. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the progress that has been made with regard to the initiation of dedicated transport police; and his views on whether such transport police ought to be a unit of An Garda Síochána or similar to the Airport Police. [41434/18]

Photo of Shane RossShane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The safety and security of passengers and staff, including arrangements to deal with anti-social behaviour, are matters first and foremost for the individual public transport transport companies in conjunction with, as appropriate, An Garda Síochána.

While the vast majority of public transport passenger journeys occur without incident, I am concerned to ensure that the necessary arrangements are in place to ensure the safety of all passengers and staff travelling and working on our rail network. Therefore, following representations from the National Bus and Rail Union who called for the establishment of a dedicated police force for public transport, I wrote to Irish Rail and the Railway Safety Advisory Council (RSAC) to seek their views on the issue of anti-social behaviour on the rail network.

In its response, Irish Rail outlined a number of measures that the company has taken in an effort to safeguard the security of passengers and staff. These measures have included the allocation of additional security and supervisory operatives, particularly at night and in certain areas, as well as more resources for centralised CCTV monitoring stations. The company also stated that it works closely with An Garda Síochána on anti-social behaviour in general and receives the full support of the Gardaí. The RSAC, in its response, recommended the establishment of a dedicated unit of An Garda Síochána to police our rail network on occasions when the possibility of anti-social behaviour is high.

Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus were also contacted for their views and both companies responded that the level of anti-social behaviour is relatively low and noted a declining trend which is very positive. Both companies also stressed the strong and close working relationships with An Garda Síochána.

Following engagement with the public transport companies and the RSAC, I wrote to the Minister for Justice to seek his views as to how we might best address the issue of anti-social behaviour on our transport system, in particular on the Irish Rail network. I have asked that the Minister consider this issue in conjunction with An Garda Síochána, given that the allocation of all Garda resources, including the manner in which Garda personnel are deployed, is solely a decision for the Garda Commissioner and his management team.

Photo of John LahartJohn Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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216. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when the next BusConnects public consultation will commence; and the timeframe for the NTA to deal with the first phase of consultation. [41435/18]

Photo of John LahartJohn Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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217. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the spend for Bus Rapid Transit; and the outcome of same. [41436/18]

Photo of John LahartJohn Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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219. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if a consultant (details supplied) was the sole consultant considered for the BusConnects design project. [41438/18]

Photo of John LahartJohn Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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220. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the tender process in advance of the appointment of a person (details supplied) as a consultant on the BusConnects project. [41439/18]

Photo of John LahartJohn Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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221. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the role of Dublin Bus in terms of the design of the proposed BusConnects changes to bus services in Dublin city. [41440/18]

Photo of Shane RossShane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 216, 217 and 219 to 221, inclusive, together.

As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for ensuring the development and delivery of public transport infrastructure, including the BusConnects programme.

In light of the NTA's statutory responsibility in this area, I have referred the Deputy's question to theNTA for a more detailed reply on the various issues raised. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.

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