Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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163. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the main policy achievements of his Department since 27 June 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27972/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I thank the Deputy for their question.

My Department is responsible for the implementation of 54 specific commitments in the Programme for Government: Our Shared Future, as well as playing a critical role in supporting other commitments.

Government has delivered positive improvements through this implementation, including securing lower public transport fares, expanding public transport services through the roll-out of schemes such as Connecting Ireland and BusConnects, improving Active Travel infrastructure around the country, and continuing to support the transition to Electric Vehicles (EVs) through funding for EV grants and charging infrastructure.

Key updates regarding the main policy achievements since 27 June 2020, as sought by the Deputy, are set out below.

Climate Action

Progress Reports on the delivery of commitments outlined in our Climate Action Plan are prepared by the Department of the Taoiseach and have been on a quarterly basis. In 2023, my Department achieved an overall completion rate of 58%, with 14 of 25 actions that were due by end Q4 2023 under Climate Action Plan 2023 completed.

Some examples of key CAP achievements delivered in 2023 include measures such as the ongoing expansion of rural mobility services under the NTA’s Connecting Ireland programme, completion of the first projects under our Sustainable Mobility Policy Pathfinder Programme including the electrification of the Athlone town bus fleet, publication of our National Cycle Network Strategy, the publication of our National EV Charging Infrastructure Strategy and National En-Route EV Charging plan, update of our Renewable Transport Fuel Policy, the launch of the ‘Your Journey Counts’ national advertising campaign, the completion of new and revised Metropolitan Area Transport Strategies for the Waterford, Limerick-Shannon and Greater Dublin Areas, alongside the progression of BusConnects, DART+ and Metrolink through major milestones in our consultative and planning systems.

The annual update of the Climate Action Plan (CAP24) was finalised in May 2024 following public consultation under the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Appropriate Assessment (AA) processes.

In May 2024, my Department also published its Public Engagement Strategy on Climate Action and Sustainable Mobility, setting out our intended approach to engagement with wider public on sustainable mobility and climate action in the transport sector.

Sectoral Adaptation

As well as work programmes to support climate change mitigation, the Climate Action Plan sets out integrated actions to progress and support crucial climate change adaptation actions. Through implementation of the statutory Transport Climate Change Sectoral Adaptation Plan (T-SAP), which was published in 2019, my Department has progressed actions to increase Transport infrastructure resilience to climate change impacts across the three priority implementation objectives to:

• Improve understanding of the impacts of climate change on transport infrastructure, including cross-sectoral cascading impacts, and close knowledge gaps through research and cross-sectoral collaboration;
• Assist transport stakeholders in identifying and prioritising climate risks to existing and planned infrastructural assets and enabling them to implement adaptation measures accordingly;
• Ensure that resilience to weather extremes and longer-term adaptation needs are considered in investment programmes for planned future transport infrastructure.

Sustainable Mobility Policy

The National Sustainable Mobility Policy (SMP) was published in April 2022 and aims to deliver at least 500,000 additional daily active travel and public transport journeys and a 10% reduction in kilometres driven by fossil-fuelled cars by 2030, in line with previous CAP21 commitments. These metrics have been superseded by updated targets in CAP23.

A Year One Progress Report detailing the status of SMP actions up to April 2023 was published in August last year and may be found on . A Year Two Progress Report will be published later this year. As per a commitment under the Policy, my Department held its second National Sustainable Mobility Forum in May 2024. More than 180 stakeholders attended the event, which was held in Portlaoise.

My Department is also developing a national demand management strategy that will support and complement the National Sustainable Mobility Policy.

To oversee delivery of the Sustainable Mobility Policy, officials in my Department established a Leadership Group. Under this Group, a Delivery Team identified over 30 exemplar ‘pathfinder’ projects and initiatives to be delivered by 2025 that will champion sustainable mobility projects across the county.

A broad variety of projects were selected ranging from national game-changing proposals like making College Green in Dublin car-free or locating a brand-new integrated public and active travel hub, with a new bridge across the Suir River in Waterford City, to smaller, creative and equally effective projects like a Bus-it-2-school project in Co. Meath or a pilot programme in Co. Leitrim to integrate local link with a hackney and community e-bike scheme.

Several Pathfinder projects were delivered either in whole or in part during 2023. The Athlone Town Bus Electrification project and the introduction of a new Smarter Travel Mark by the NTA were fully completed, while the first sections of several Active Travel Pathfinders were also completed: the N63 Major Wells Road portion of the Longford Core Cycle Network, the Castletymon District Centre Enhancement Project led by South Dublin County Council, and the Dunkettle to Carrigtohill and Bilberry to Waterford City sections of the Cork to Waterford Intra-Urban Demonstrator project. The first phase of the D24 Neighbourhood Cycle Network, also delivered by South Dublin County Council, was completed in Q2 2024 and will be formally opened on 5 July.

Renewable Transport Fuel

Under our IMPROVE programme, the Renewable Transport Fuel (RTF) Policy 2023-2025 sets out the pathway to the achievement of Climate Action Plan targets and European obligations, as well as ensuring European sustainability and greenhouse gas reduction criteria are adhered to concerning renewable transport fuel.

This is implemented through the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), provided for under Part 5A of the National Oil Reserves Agency Act 2007 (as amended), which places an obligation on fuel suppliers to ensure that road transport fuel contains a proportion of renewable transport fuel.

The RTF Policy is reviewed every two years. The was published in 2023, renewing the 2021-2023 Policy and achieving CAP23 action TR 23/63. It sets out a trajectory of annual increase in the blending rate of supply of sustainable renewable fuel in transport toward an RTFO rate to 49% by 2030, from the current 21% (by energy content) of the road transport fuel (gasoline and motor diesel) placed on the market in Ireland, to meet both domestic CAP decarbonisation targets and European renewable energy targets over that period.

The RTF Policy sets out an indicative linear trajectory of annual increase in the RTFO percentage rate, expressed as a rate of 15% of renewable transport fuel (by volume) in road transport fossil fuel in 2022, rising to 17% (by energy) in 2023, and 21% (by energy) in 2024. Contributing to the RTFO, a statutory sub-target advanced biofuel obligation percentage rate was established in 2023 at a rate of 0.3% of road transport fossil fuel in 2023, rising to 1% in 2024. The RTF Policy also sets out an indicative linear trajectory of annual increase in this advanced biofuel obligation percentage rate to 2030 aligned to the EU RED sub-targets.

This has been supported through the enactment of enabling legislation and regulations, including the award of RTFO certificates to incentivise the supply of certain renewable fuels, and the implementation of E10 petrol as standard.

My Department has established working groups to support the implementation of renewable transport fuel policy actions on biofuel sustainability, meeting European targets for renewable transport energy share and to support the development of legislation. Supporting each of these working groups is an expert panel, established to provide industry knowledge and insight. Several meetings of each working group have been held since establishment in 2023 to progress the agreed work programmes.

Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation

The EU’s Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2023/1804), which is part of the EU’s ‘Fit for 55’ legislative package was formally adopted in September 2023 and came into full effect across all Member States on the 13 April 2024. This regulation sets a mandatory minimum level of alternative fuels infrastructure to be deployed across the Trans-European Network - Transport (TEN-T) to support the wider decarbonisation of the sector, with interim milestones established for 2025, 2030 and 2035, and a review clause for 2027.

Under this Regulation, the vision set for the deployment of public electric charging infrastructure envisages a 300% increase in charging capacity by 2025 and will see fast recharging stations deployed for cars and vans every 60km along the main transport corridors, as well as megawatt capacity dedicated to heavy duty vehicle charging facilities on the TEN-T network and at key urban nodes.

AFIR will also require the development of significant on-shore electricity supply capacity in our TEN-T ports and for renewable electricity supply for stationary aircraft in our TEN-T airports to support the decarbonisation of our aviation and maritime sectors, in addition to mandating a minimum level of alternative fuels refuelling infrastructure (e.g., hydrogen) in our major cities and along the TEN-T core network.

The increasing electrification and deployment of other zero-emission and renewable alternative fuels infrastructure in transport will therefore require close integration between the transport, electricity and planning sectors to ensure that network development strategies and investments meet the requirements necessary for compliance, not least the extensive power output requirements mandated by AFIR.

As part of the requirements set by the Regulation, my Department is also required to submit an updated draft National Policy Framework for Alternative Fuels Infrastructure in Transport to the EU Commission by end 2024, with final policy frameworks required to be submitted by end 2025. My Department published an Issues Paper and opened a 6-week public consultation over May-June 2024 seeking the views of wider stakeholders to inform the development of this policy framework, and is currently reviewing submissions received from that consultation. It is expected that a second phase of public consultation will be undertaken on the draft national policy framework in early Q1 2025.

My Department has also established an Inter-Departmental Working Group on Alternative Fuels for transport with the first meeting taking place on 29 September 2023 and two further meetings in 2024. The Working Group is to coordinate action by stakeholders with policy responsibility for alternative fuels in transport (encompassing zero-emissions energy and fuel, renewable fuel, and low carbon fuel as defined in the EU alternative fuel legislation) and related infrastructure and vehicle technology for alternative fuels in transport use, aligning with relevant national policy for future production of alternative fuels.

Cycling and Walking

The Programme for Government committed to cross-Government spending of around €360 million per annum for active travel measures throughout the lifetime of the Government. The majority of this funding comes from the Department of Transport and will contribute to the development of almost 1,000km of new and improved walking and cycling infrastructure across the country by 2025.

In 2024, €290 million has been made available to local authorities around the country through the National Transport Authority (NTA) to progress the delivery of over 1,000 walking and cycling projects across Ireland. This funding constitutes a significant increase on investment levels even a few years ago, with funding of €45 million invested in Active Travel in 2019. Actual spend on Active Travel infrastructure exceeded its 2022 and 2023 allocations with an investment of €310 million and €340 million made around the country in each respective year.

In tandem with their National Roads and Greenways projects, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) have also begun investing in Active Travel projects in areas outside the remit of the NTA. Just under €12 million has been allocated to TII in 2024 for such projects which link urban centres to major road projects. These projects, most of which are at early stages of development, include the N8 Cycleway from Tivoli to Little Island in Cork, Active Travel linkages in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, and cycle path projects along the N2 in Monaghan. Active travel infrastructure is also incorporated, where possible, into major National Roads projects progressed by TII as part of their overall capital roads programme.

Greenways

In addition to the significant investment in Active Travel, €72 million is being invested in our Greenway network this year through TII, an increase of over €50 million based on 2019 funding levels. The number of Greenways in development in Ireland has increased from 13 in 2019, to over 70 projects currently underway.

National Cycle Network & CycleConnects

TII launched a public consultation on the development of a new National Cycle Network which was completed in Q2 2022. The plan comprises of a 3,500km network that will criss-cross the country, connecting more than 200 villages, towns and cities. The network will include cycling links to transport hubs, education centres, employment centres, leisure and tourist destinations, and support “last mile” bicycle deliveries. The National Cycle Network was published in January 2024 and is available;

In tandem with the National Cycle Network, the NTA are developing CycleConnects which will outline planned cycling infrastructure investment within urban areas around the country. Proposals for intra-urban cycling links in key cities, towns and villages in each of the 22 counties outside the Greater Dublin Area are included in the plan. CycleConnects builds on the cycling plans already developed for the GDA and, together with the National Cycle Network, will create an overall comprehensive cycle network for Ireland. The draft CycleConnects plan has undergone environmental assessment in recent months and is due for publication in Q3 2024. Active Travel teams are now in place in all 31 local authorities, with the number of dedicated staff for Active Travel projects increasing from 57 in January 2021 to around 240 across the country.

Safe Routes to Schools and other initiatives

The Safe Routes to Schools Initiative was established during 2021, with the first phase of 170 schools selected in June 2021, 167 of which remain actively engaged in the Programme. 108 additional schools were selected for inclusion in Round 2 of the Programme on 12 December 2022 which brought the total number of schools currently in SRTS to 275. As of 31 May 2024, projects at 65 schools have been completed with 26 additional under construction. All remaining schools in Rounds 1 and 2 are at various stages of progress through the Programme. In addition, all Active Travel projects progressed by the NTA aim to incorporate linkages to schools where possible, whether they are part of the SRTS programme or not.

My Department funds the delivery of CycleRight training through Cycling Ireland. The 2023 target of 35,000 pupils trained was reached, and it is expected that around 40,000 students will be trained in 2024, in line with the target in the National Sustainable Mobility Policy of an additional 5,000 students per annum completing the training. 2024 funding also includes an increased subvention for students in DEIS schools, which will number around 10,000 of the total trained this year.

Thresholds under the Cycle to Work scheme have been increased in recent budgets to allow for the purchase of e-bikes and cargo bikes or e-bikes. The latter was included in the Finance Act following Budget 2023, with an allowance of up to €3,000 available for individuals to put towards the purchase of a cargo bike or cargo e-bikes.

Transport Infrastructure

Transport Planning

A revised Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area (GDA) 2022-2042 was published by the NTA in January 2023, following my approval. The strategy sets out a statutory framework for transport investment across the region over a twenty-year period and provides a clear statement of transport planning policy for the GDA.

The Transport Orientated Development (TOD) working group, which was established under the Government’s Housing for All plan and which is jointly led by my Department and the Department of Housing, published its report on TOD opportunities in Dublin in June 2023.

Metrolink

A significant milestone in the progression of the MetroLink project was cleared in July 2022, when Cabinet granted Decision Gate (DG) 1 approval under the Public Spending Code (PSC) to MetroLink. This decision enabled the project to move to planning application stage, and on 30 September, TII submitted a Railway Order application to An Bord Pleanála. The statutory planning consultation for the project closed on 16 January 2023.

An Bord Pleanála commenced an Oral Hearing in relation to MetroLink on February 19^th 2024, which concluded on March 28th. Dependent on the outcome of the planning process, construction of MetroLink is earmarked to commence over the coming years with a view to operation by the mid-2030s.

MetroLink reached another significant milestone in June 2024 with the hiring of its first Project Director following a global search for the most suitable candidate.

DART Expansion

In December 2021 the Government approved the Preliminary Business Case for the DART+ Programme and a fleet framework agreement between Irish Rail and Alstom. This framework allows for the purchase of up to 750 electric/battery-electric train carriages for the Irish Rail system over a 10-year period. This approval permitted the purchase of 95 additional DART carriages, which are expected to enter service in 2026. In November 2022, the Government approved a second purchase of fleet under the framework agreement, which will see 90 new battery-electric multiple units arrive in 2026.

Following the submission of a Railway Order application by Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ) to An Bord Pleanála in July 2022, an Oral Hearing for DART+ West was held in September/October 2023. A Railway Order for DART+ South West was lodged by CIÉ in March 2023.

The DART+ Coastal North rail project was submitted to Government in May 2024 and approved to enter the planning system. A Railway Order for DART+ Coastal North is expected to be lodged by CIÉ by the end of summer 2024.

Light Rail

Dublin: The preliminary business case for the Luas Finglas project has been submitted to my Department by the NTA for review and I hope to bring this to Government in the coming months for consent in line with the Infrastructure Guidelines. This will enable the project to enter the statutory planning process through the submission of a Railway Order Application to An Bord Pleanála.

Cork : Work on identifying a precise route for Luas Cork is progressing well. In discussions with Cork City Council, it was agreed that some additional work should be undertaken in relation to the city centre section prior to commencing the public consultation stage. TII, in collaboration with the NTA, are now undertaking that additional work, in consultation with Cork City Council. That task is likely to take a couple of months and it is now anticipated that the Emerging Preferred Route for Luas Cork will be published later this year and a non-statutory public consultation process will then be undertaken.

Galway : The NTA, in conjunction with Galway City Council and Galway County Council, is currently developing the Galway Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy (GMATS), which will replace the 2016 Galway Transport Strategy. As part of the development of GMATS, mode specific analysis is being undertaken, including a light rail feasibility study. Following the preparation of the draft GMATS , the NTA will undertake a non-statutory public consultation process which will give stakeholders the opportunity to share their views on the draft strategy. It is anticipated that the public consultation on the draft GMATS will commence later this year, and the publication of the completed, updated strategy will follow after a review and consideration of the public consultation responses.

Roads

At the start of 2023, €491 million in capital exchequer funding was allocated for investment in the national road network. €237 million was allocated for the progression of new national roads projects. This included a number of projects which were completed in 2023, including the N5 Westport to Turlough, the N22 Ballyvourney to Macroom, and the Moycullen bypass. €254 million was invested in the protection and renewal of the existing national roads network, which includes measures to improve safety and meet the challenges of climate adaptation.

At the start of 2024, approximately €411 million in capital exchequer funding was allocated for investment in the national road network. €146 million was allocated for the progression of new national roads projects. This included a number of projects which were under construction, including the Dunkettle Interchange, Listowel Bypass and N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge. In addition, a number of schemes are approaching construction, including the M28 Cork to Ringaskiddy and the Adare Bypass, with other NDP projects at an earlier stage of development continuing to be advanced. €265 million was invested in the protection and renewal of the existing national roads network, which includes measures to improve safety and meet the challenges of climate adaptation.

In 2023, €626 million was allocated for investment in the regional and local road network. At the start of 2024, €658 million was allocated for investment in the regional and local road network, with about 90% directed to road maintenance and renewal and the balance for targeted road improvement schemes. In Q2 2024, an additional capital allocation of €30m was made available to help address the impact of persistent and prolonged rainfall over the 2023/24 winter season, with this funding to support remedial works on the worst impacted sections of the network. Through the National Development Plan, €70 million was allocated to road improvement projects including the completed Athy Southern Distributor Road along with current projects in construction such as Shannon Crossing / Killaloe Bypass/ R494 Upgrade and the Tralee Northern Relief Road, together with the completion of advance/emergency works and the retender of the main construction contract related to the Coonagh to Knockalisheen Distributor Road. A range of regional and local road minor/safety improvement schemes and climate adaptation projects have also been implemented under the roads works programme.

Public Transport

Fares

The Young Adult Card was launched on Public Service Obligation (PSO) services on the 9 May 2022 enabling those aged between 19 and 23 to avail of an average 50% discount in their public transport fares. The Scheme was extended to participating commercial bus operators (CBOs) on 4 September 2022. Further, in October 2022, the Scheme was widened to include third level students aged 16 to 18. Under Budget 2024, my Department secured an extension to for the scheme to include 24 and 25-year-olds. This was launched on January 11^th and will allow this age group to benefit from the 50% fare reduction. These low fares apply to all subsidised public transport journeys on Dublin Bus, Iarnród Eireann, Bus Éireann, Luas, Go Ahead, TFI Local Link and on participating commercial bus operator (CBO) services.

As part of the suite of Cost-of-Living measures, in May 2022 Government introduced a 20% average fare reduction on all Public Service Obligation (PSO) public transport services.

As part of the total funding package of €563.55m that was secured for PSO and Local Link services under Budget 2023, funding was provided for the continuation of the Young Adult Card on both PSO and CBO services, and for the continuation of the 20% average fare discount on PSO services. Under Budget 2024, a funding package of c. €613.463m has been secured for PSO and Local Link services. This includes funding for the continuation of the 20% fare reduction on PSO services, the Young Adult Card on both PSO and CBO services, and the 90-minute fare until the end of 2024. Funding has also been secured to support new and enhanced bus and rail services next year.

On 27 April 2023, the NTA published its National Fares Strategy for commuter and inter-urban journeys on Public Service Obligation (PSO) bus and rail services. Under this Strategy, changes introduced in future fares determinations will reflect a more consistent, equitable approach, and one that is easier to understand for customers.

Fares Determination

The fare determination has formalised a new ‘Dublin City Zone’, extending to approximately 23km from the centre of Dublin, encompassing the current area of validity of TFI 90 Leap Card travel. It also introduces simplified Leap capping, as well as changes to some Intercity Rail and town bus fares. The most significant change is the implementation of an initial phase of the National Fares Strategy on Dublin Commuter bus and rail services. The short distance leap fare will have a slight increase and the new Dublin City Zone will now include areas such as Ashbourne and Ratoath. This is the first step in delivering the National Fares Strategy and it is NTA’s intention to roll this out further across the country in the months ahead.

Connecting Ireland & Rural Mobility

A consultation report regarding the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan was published on 3 May 2022.

Throughout 2022, Phase 1 of the Plan delivered 38 new and enhanced bus services. The revisions were implemented on routes and service serving areas in counties Cavan, Monaghan, Donegal, Clare, Sligo, Kildare, Offaly, Mayo and Wexford.

Routes identified through the Connecting Ireland consultation process were prioritised to provide emergency public transport services to people fleeing the war in Ukraine and housed in rural or isolated locations to ensure better access to our local communities. This continues to be achieved through an acceleration of network improvements, including additional stops, route modifications, and more services with the aim to increase connectivity.

In February 2023, Phase 2 of Connecting Ireland was launched, and 65 new and enhanced bus services were implemented during 2023. December 2023 was the busiest month of bus service launches recorded under Connecting Ireland. Twenty new and enhanced bus services were implemented, connecting towns and villages in Counties Galway, Mayo, Waterford, Kerry, Sligo and Cavan. In total over 100 new or enhanced services have been rolled out under Connecting Ireland, with 49 of the new and enhanced services providing connections to rail services, 42 to hospitals and 34 to colleges. Under Connecting Ireland, over 190 towns and villages have been connected to the public transport network, and over 280,000 people have access to new and enhanced bus services.

The Rural Transport Programme, now operating under the TFI Local Link brand, provides scheduled and demand responsive public transport services in rural areas nationwide. There has been a substantial increase in funding for TFI Local Link services going from €12 million in 2016 to over €57 million in 2024. The additional funding has enabled the introduction of 100 new Rural Regular Service routes operating at least 5 times per day over a 5,6,7 days per week schedule. They are specifically designed to ensure connectivity with other public transport services and better linkage of services between and within towns and villages. Passenger numbers increased to 3.2 million in 2023. As part of the ongoing transition of the public transport fleet to zero emissions vehicles, two fully accessible electric vehicles began operating on TFI Local Link services in the Dingle peninsula during June 2024.

Indecon consultants were appointed by my Department in Q4 2023 to conduct an independent review of the existing administrative, operational, legislative, and funding structures of rural public transport service provision via the Rural Transport Programme (RTP) and make recommendations on the future long-term structure of rural public transport provision, to evaluate its current effectiveness. The Report is currently being finalised.

The new Carlow town service launched on 30 July 2023 operated by Bus Éireann. The new Clonmel town service launched on 11 December 2023 operated by TFI Local Link Tipperary. The NTA is continuing to plan for new and enhanced services in a number of regional centres by the end of 2025.

Buses

BusConnects

Much work has also progressed in relation to BusConnects.

The Preliminary Business Case for infrastructure investment was approved by Government in Q2 2022, allowing BusConnects Dublin to enter the planning system. The planning applications for all Core Bus Corridor schemes were subsequently submitted by the National Transport Authority (NTA) to An Bord Pleanála. Four schemes have been approved by An Bord Pleanála so far – the Clongriffin, Liffey Valley, Ballymun/Finglas and Belfield/Blackrock schemes.

The Network Redesign for Dublin has been rolling out incrementally since 2021. The first of these Spines – the H-Spine (Howth to City Centre) – launched in June 2021. The second Spine – the C-Spine (Lucan/Leixlip to City Centre) – launched in November 2021. The roll-out continued in 2022 with the launch of the third and fourth phases – the G-Spine (Ballyfermot to City Centre) and the Northern Orbital routes. The Southern and Western orbital routes rolled out in 2023. The E-Spine (Ballymun to Bray) and the O Route (Inner City Orbitals) are expected to launch later in 2024 subject to craftworker and depot availability.

100 double-deck electric buses are currently entering service incrementally in Dublin and all will be in service by August 2024. In addition to the 100 electric buses currently entering service in Dublin on an incremental basis, an additional 50 have been accepted by the NTA, and a further 70 have been ordered. Furthermore, 34 electric single-deck buses will be absorbed into the Dublin Bus fleet in 2024.

In Cork, following a public consultation, the new BusConnects network was published in June 2022, and it aims to provide an increase of over 50% in bus services across the city. Planning for the implementation of the new bus network has commenced and it is expected that the new network will be implemented in the coming years.

Another key component of the BusConnects Cork programme is the implementation of bus priority measures, generally bus lanes, on key bus corridors serving the city. A third round of non-statutory public consultation on the 11 Sustainable Transport Corridors commenced ran from November to December 2023. Preparation of a Preliminary Business Case for the programme is ongoing.

Similarly, BusConnects Galway will provide a major enhancement to the bus system there. Key elements are currently under development, namely the Cross City Link project and the Dublin Road scheme. The Salmon Weir Pedestrian/Cycling Bridge was officially opened to the public last May. The bus network design was finalised last December following a public consultation, and it will provide improved services, including in Bearna and Oranmore.

BusConnects Limerick will provide a major enhancement to the bus system there. Key elements are currently under development, with 34 electric buses entering service. The bus network design was finalised last December following a public consultation, and it will provide improved services across the city.

The new bus network for Waterford expected to be published by 2025. Implementation planning for the new network is estimated to commence following this.

Decarbonisation of Road Transport

Within the Climate Action Plan (CAP), fleet electrification is one of the two single biggest mitigation actions for domestic sectors and will provide the greatest share of transport emissions abatement to 2030. The CAP sets an ambitious target of shifting 30% of our private car fleet to electric by 2030 with a supplementary target of 195,000 EVs (battery electric and plug in hybrid electric) vehicles on our roads by the end of 2025. As of May 2024, there are just over 129,300 registered electric vehicles in Ireland.

In Ireland, Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI) was established as an office within the Department of Transport in July 2022 to support consumers, businesses and the public sector in the transition to electric vehicles.

ZEVI published Ireland’s first EV Charging Infrastructure Strategy 2022-2025 which sets out the Government’s ambition regarding the delivery of a public charging network to support up to 195,000 electric cars and vans by the middle of the decade.

Arising from this strategy, the National Road EV Charging Network Plan, published in May 2024, outlines the pathway for delivery of EV charging on the national road network with banks of high powered chargers to be rolled out every 60km on our motorway network by 2025. The second part of this plan, the Regional and Local EV Charging Network Plan, was published for consultation in May 2024 and focuses on neighbourhood and destination charging in cities, towns and villages around the country. This regional plan will be led by local authorities, working together to develop regional strategies that promote a unified and efficient rollout of charging infrastructure.

The finalised Universal Design Guidelines for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure were published in May 2024 and provide best practice guidance for public authorities and private sector chargepoint operators to ensure that EV charging infrastructure is as accessible and easy to use as possible. In 2024, €115.8m has been allocated to ensure the continued transition to electric vehicles which includes funding for EV grants and EV charging infrastructure. This funding will continue to incentivise the switch to electric vehicles as well as enabling the expansion of a fast and rapid electric vehicle charging network to stay ahead of demand.

A range of new charging infrastructure schemes are being developed which will help provide another critical link in the overall network for public charging, including:

A motorway infrastructure scheme, administered by TII, that will deliver banks of high-powered chargers every 60km across the motorway network by 2025. The sites to be supported under this scheme will be announced in July 2024, with delivery to commence from this date.

A second high powered scheme, to be administered by TII, to provide banks of high-powered chargers along the primary and secondary national road network.

A Shared Island funded Sports Club scheme, which will install up to 200 fast chargers in sports clubs on the island of Ireland.

An EU Just transition Fund supported scheme, which is planned to install 60-80 chargers in the Just Transition area in the midlands.

Local Authority pilot schemes, funding the roil out of EV charging in Local Authorities who have already developed local EV network plans, while supporting the development of local EV Network plans in other areas.

These new sites, in addition to those under other destination schemes currently planned will be delivered in 2024 and 2025.

These schemes as well as a suite of related programmes across both ZEVI and its stakeholders and partners, will ensure that the rollout of EV charging is not only compliant with our national and EU obligations under the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR), but also provides charging infrastructure which meets the needs of users regardless of their vehicle type, their geographic location or their specific demand for charging.

As well as investing in EV infrastructure, the Government is supporting the transition through the continuation of vehicle incentives such as the purchase grant for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) of 3,500, home and apartment charging grants, benefit-in-kind relief for BEV’s, VRT relief of up to 5,000 for BEVs and a low rate of annual motor tax.

Current direct incentives include:

A purchase grant for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) of up to €3,500;

A Home Charger purchase grant scheme - up to €300;

VRT relief of up to €5,000 for the purchase of BEVs;

Benefit-in-Kind tax relief for battery electric vehicles;

eSPSV grant scheme – a generous grant for taxi drivers to make the switch to Wheelchair Accessible EV’s of up to €25,000;

ZEHDV grant scheme – a grant scheme for HDVs to bridge the gap between a low emission vehicle and a fossil fuel vehicle; and

Low rate of annual motor tax.

E-Scooters

All necessary e-scooter regulations were commenced on 20^th May 2024 – Commencement Orders (Road Traffic Act 2024, Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023), Technical and Usage, Detention of E-scooters (powers for AGS), Use of Powered Personal Transporters (only permitting e-scooters and no other form of PPT), Traffic & Parking, Signs, and Fixed Charge Notice regulations.

The RSA have undertaken an advertising campaign specifically for e-scooters and this ran during May and Jun 2024. Full details of permitted e-scooters are available on both the RSA and Gov.ie websites:

Gov.ie Campaign:

RSA Campaign:

E-Bikes and E-Mopeds

Provisions classifying e-bikes and e-mopeds were contained in the Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023. These provisions were commenced on 20th May 2024.

[Further information to follow]