Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 January 2026
236. Deputy Gillian Toole asked the Minister for Transport the public-transport (bus, rail, park & ride facilities) forward planning is being worked on by his Department, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, National Transport Authority, Bus Éireann, Irish Rail for Meath-East, to ensure the delivery of an efficient & affordable public transport system in advance of revised planning/ house-building targets. [3292/26]
View answerIn Ireland, one of the primary means of forward planning in the transport sector, including for public transport infrastructure, is through the Metropolitan Area Transport Plans for the five cities of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford. The Greater Dublin Area Transport Strategy 2022 – 2042 covers the counties of Dublin, Meath, Kildare, and Wicklow and takes into account the Meath County Development Plan. The National Transport Authority is required under statute to review that Strategy every six years, and I note that in the last review over half of respondents who gave a place of residence were from County Meath.
By announcing when and where we are going to build public transport, we give people, including those in East Meath, a better ability to plan their lives, such as where they might want to live, work, or study. It also gives confidence to businesses seeking to set up or expand employment and to the construction sector to progress new homes.
Regarding specific forms of public transport, DART+ Coastal North provides an extension of DART services from Dublin City Centre to Drogheda, which passes through East Meath. An Coimisiún Pleanála granted planning approval in August 2025, and in November last year the Sectoral Investment Plan for Transport under the National Development Plan Review notes that there is potential to commence works on elements of the project over the period 2026 to 2030.
In addition, the National Transport Authority is leading on the development and rollout of strategic Park and Ride sites nation-wide. The Park and Ride Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area 2022 – 2027 sets out the vision for Park and Ride and identified zones for strategic sites in the region, which includes both the M3 Parkway and Ashbourne.
I look forward to seeing these important projects develop over the coming years, for the people of East Meath and beyond.
