Séamus McGrath (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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53. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when the Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy will be reviewed. [22669/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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Integrated land use planning and transport planning in the five cities - Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Waterford, is led through metropolitan area transport strategies which set out programmes of proposed transport investment in active travel, bus and rail for each city over a 20-year period.

These strategies consider the whole functional area of the five cities, have a 20-year horizon and are subject to review every six years. They provide an evidence based framework to support the development of individual projects and are consistent with the spatial planning objectives in the National Planning Framework and the relevant Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy.

The Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy (CMATS) was developed by the National Transport Authority (NTA) in collaboration with Cork City Council, Cork County Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland,

Since its publication in 2020, there has been good progress on key elements of CMATS, including the Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme, BusConnects Cork, Cork Light Rail and the Active Travel Programme.

It is currently anticipated that the NTA will commence the review process of CMATS in 2026.