Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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276. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if there has been progress made on any capital projects such as the MetroLink or the Galway bypass since the formation of this Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10739/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that, as Minister for Transport, I am fully committed to progressing key transport capital projects across Ireland, working with the relevant agencies under my remit to achieve their delivery.

As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The Programme for Government commits to ‘Progress all key public transport infrastructure in the National Development Plan’, and my Department is working to progress a number of public transport projects across the country in this regard.

On heavy rail, we have made good progress on the DART+ Programme, which comprises five different projects within the Greater Dublin Area. The Railway Order (planning decision) for DART+ West was granted by An Bord Pleanála in July 2024 subject to certain conditions. Iarnród Éireann and the NTA are considering responses to legal challenges to the project's planning decision. The Railway Order was approved by An Bord Pleanála for the DART+ South West project in November 2024. Work is now progressing with a view to moving these projects into procurement and thereafter into the construction stage in the coming years. A Railway Order application was lodged with An Bord Pleanála for DART+ Coastal North in July 2024. The DART+ Coastal South project envisages increased train frequency between Greystones and Bray within a number of years.

In addition to the DART+ infrastructure projects, two carriage orders have been placed under the DART+ Fleet project, consisting of 185 carriages in total, made up of largely battery-electric with some electric units. Battery-electric carriages from the first order are expected to be deployed on the Northern Commuter Line serving Dublin to/from Drogheda in 2026.

Outside of Dublin, phase 1 of Cork Area Commuter Rail is currently under construction and will provide a new ‘through’ platform at Kent Station, which is scheduled to open shortly, as well as re-signalling of the network, and double-tracking from Glounthaune to Midleton, with a view to these works being complete in 2026.

Metrolink entered the planning system in September 2022. The latest, additional, round of public consultation closed on 8 October 2024, and a planning decision is awaited from An Bord Pleanála. Similarly, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) submitted a Railway Order application for Luas Finglas to An Bord Pleanála in November 2024, and a planning decision is awaited.

In relation to the delivery of BusConnects Dublin, over 100 double-deck electric buses are in service in Dublin and the National Transport Authority (NTA) has accepted an additional 45. To date, An Bord Pleanála has approved 11 of 12 Core Bus Corridor applications in Dublin, allowing procurement preparations for the first of these to begin.

There has also been progress made in advancing the BusConnects in our regional cities. In September 2024, An Bord Pleanála granted consent for the BusConnects Galway: Cross-City Link (University Road to Dublin Road) project. In addition, 34 double-decker electric buses rolled out in Limerick last year. Following a public consultation last year, the NTA published the redesigned Waterford network in January 2025.

As Minister for Transport, I also have responsibility for overall policy and exchequer funding in relation to the National Roads Programme. Under the Roads Acts 1993-2015, and in line with the National Development Plan (NDP), the planning, design and construction of individual national roads is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. This is also subject to the Infrastructure Guidelines and the necessary statutory approvals. The Deputy may wish to note that, in 2024, €3 million was allocated for the Galway City Ring Road project. Allocations for national road projects in 2025 will be announced in the near future.

The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from Councils' own resources, which are supplemented by State grants for regional and local roads. The primary focus for capital investment under the National Development Plan (NDP) continues to be the protection and renewal of the regional and local road network which plays a critical role in supporting economic and community links throughout the country and is used by buses, cyclists, commercial vehicles, Heavy Goods Vehicles as well as private cars.

In addition to maintaining the regional and local road network in good repair, it is a priority to carry out targeted improvements to sections of the network. These include 12 strategic schemes identified for development under the NDP. Currently, three of these projects are at construction stage, including the Tralee Northern Relief Road and the Shannon Crossing, Killaloe Bypass and R494 Upgrade schemes.

As well as the updates detailed above, the Deputy may also wish to refer to the MyProjectIreland Interactive Map and Tracker, where updates on the progress of a range Transport projects under the National Development Plan across Ireland can be found. Since the launch of the first National Development Plan in 2018, the tracker has been updated regularly and contains project updates across a wide range of indicators, including the current status of the project; the construction commencement date of the project; the completion or anticipated completion date of the project; the current stage of the project lifecycle as per the Public Spending Code and finally, information on the project cost range.

The MyProjectIreland Interactive Map and Trackercan be found here: www.gov.ie/en/collection/f828b-myprojectireland-interactive-map/

Finally, noting the role of the NTA and TII in delivering the capital projects referenced by the Deputy, I have referred their question to those bodies for a direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.