Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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142. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his attention has been drawn to the current traffic issues in Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63330/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for overall policy and exchequer funding in relation to the National Roads Programme, and in relation to public transport; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport or of the operation or management of national roads.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling and timetabling of these services in conjunction with the relevant transport operators. Within their remit the NTA is currently developing the Galway Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy (GMATS), in conjunction with Galway City and County Council.

As part of GMATS, feasibility studies on light rail and strategic roads have been completed and the findings suggest a potential case for light rail under certain conditions. The NTA will await An Coimisiún Pleanála’s decision on the re-submitted N6 Galway City Ring Road before finalising GMATS, which will then go to public consultation. In the meantime, implementation will continue on the current Galway Transport Strategy.

Public Transport services play a key role in assisting to alleviate traffic issues, and we are currently focused on making improvements to enhancement of services and reliability. Bus Éireann reports Galway city services are at capacity during peak times and has added running time to improve the reliability of routes. It is acknowledged that Galway county services also face capacity issues since colleges resumed, and Bus Éireann and NTA are working on solutions to this, including auxiliary services.

In addition, improvements have been made to the rail network and works are progressing at Ceannt Station, with a new platform opened in October, which will service commuter rail services allowing trains on the Dublin to Galway line to use a newly extend platform, with further improvements on schedule to be completed next year.

Significant planning enables upcoming construction in Galway across active travel, bus, and rail projects, including BusConnects. The redesigned bus network, finalised in December 2023, will roll out subject to funding and readiness. Planning consent has been granted for the Dublin Road Scheme and Cross-City Link, though the latter faces judicial review.

In regard to traffic congestion on specific routes, 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 supplemented by State Road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is a matter for the local authority.

On 14th February 2025 I announced an Exchequer investment of €713 million in our regional and local roads across the State which represents an overall increase of over 8% in funding this year. The main focus of the grants continues to be the protection and renewal of the regional and local road network with Galway City council receiving €3,928,500 in 2025.

It should be noted that Exchequer funding for regional and local roads is intended to supplement realistic contributions from local authorities’ own resources. As the statutory road authorities for their areas, it is open to local authorities to prioritise investment on regional and local roads. Local Authorities in Galway are also responsible for traffic management plans for their respective area.