Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 June 2026
158. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Transport if he is aware of the recent report by the Just Transition Commission "Towards a Just Transition in Transport"; if he agrees with the conclusions of the report; the steps he will take to implement its recommendations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45497/26]
View answerI note the ambition of the Just Transition Commission report, "Towards a Just Transition in Transport: how can Ireland create a transport system, that is fair, accessible and sustainable for all. I agree with its central tenet, that it is not just about reducing emissions or decarbonising vehicles, that it is an opportunity to create a system that is fairer, more inclusive and more resilient.
In the context of delivering a just transition in transport, it is vital that we investment at scale in public transport infrastructure and services to ensure that climate action is fair, inclusive, and improves accessibility for all. In order to achieve these goals, we are investing significantly to support the progression of major public transport projects such as DART+, BusConnects, MetroLink and Luas extensions from planning through to construction, helping to deliver a more sustainable, accessible and integrated transport system.
The NDP commits to investing funding of approximately €10 billion for public transport infrastructure over the same period, in addition to €2 billion for MetroLink, through the Infrastructure Climate and Nature Fund.
The NTA’s capital investment plan to 2030, which will be published later this year, will provide further detail on planned investment in public transport and will align with the funding priorities set out in the Department’s Sectoral Plan and wider Government policy objectives.
This Government is committed to continuing the roll-out of the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan and increasing Local Link services in rural areas to better connect villages, towns, and cities.
€940 million of funding for Public Service Obligation and TFI Local Link services was secured in Budget 2026, including €31 million for rural transport service provision. This investment underpins our ongoing commitment to Connecting Ireland, which has been a major success story. Since 2022, 185 new or enhanced services have been delivered, connecting over 240 towns and villages to the public transport network. These services include 61 new healthcare connections, 41 links to higher education, and 71 connections to rail services. Increased services have led to exponential growth in passenger numbers, with more than 8 million passenger journeys made on Connecting Ireland routes in 2025.
As part of Connecting Ireland, and with funding under the Climate Action Fund, Smart Demand Responsive Transport is currently being piloted in three areas. Unlike traditional bus services, TFI Anseo doesn’t follow a fixed route. Instead, it travels wherever passengers need to go within the service area.
There are three aspects to improving transport accessibility - ensuring a universal design approach toward all new infrastructure, addressing legacy infrastructure deficits and providing supports for independent travel on the networks. We have an ambitious programme of investment planned for the next five years, all of which will be adhere to the principles of universal design and therefore help deliver a more inclusive transport network in the years ahead. We have increased funding under the Accessibility Retrofit programme by 67% in 2026 as compared to 2024. We will maintain that increased level of funding under the new National Development Plan to ensure that disabled people will be able to ‘turn up and go’ just like non-disabled people.
The Government launched the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People, the NHRSDP, in September 2025. The Department of Transport is the Pillar Lead for Pillar 5 ‘Transport and Mobility’ which emphasises the importance of applying Universal Design principles and taking a ‘Whole of Journey Approach’ to ensure that disabled people, older people any those with reduced mobility can connect to educational, employment, health, and recreational services.
Having affordable public transport is very important and we have introduced a number of public transport fare reduction initiatives, including the Young Adult Card, all of which help people with hidden disabilities who may not qualify under the Free Travel Scheme.
I would like to affirm the Government's strong commitment to active travel; €360 million has been ear-marked per annum to the development of walking and cycling facilities. This amounts to a €1.8 billion investment between now and the end of the decade, building on over €1 billion which has already been invested in the sector since 2021. This significant investment has delivered nearly 1,100 km of new walking and cycling infrastructure, alongside hundreds of junction upgrades and additional pedestrian crossings, as well as supporting behavioural change programmes and the very successful Safe Route to Schools initiative.
In general, the main focus of active travel investment will be to support high-quality walking and cycling infrastructure, for everyday trips, in villages, towns and cities, particularly in designated growth settlements, with a view to promoting the greatest potential modal shift to active travel.
The National Sustainable Mobility Policy action plan also aims to expand the Greenway network, establishing links to towns and villages. In fact, several of the concerns highlighted in the report are reflected within the latest iteration of the Action Plan, with clear milestones and deadlines to address. The Action Plan also supports the delivery of over 40 transport-related commitments in the Programme for Government.
The effects of increased investment levels in active travel and greenway infrastructure in recent years can be seen in every county. Improving infrastructure is critical in promoting sustainable transport modes and helping to reduce transport emissions as mandated for in the Climate Action Plan.
Active travel schemes also provide their local communities with an array of benefits including providing safe facilities for students to travel to schools, providing healthy and sustainable options for short local trips, contributing to improvements in health and wellbeing and creating a more pleasant and peaceful environment for residents and communities.
The Government is fully committed to delivering active travel infrastructure to connect people, businesses, and communities in a sustainable manner. Active Travel projects are not only transport initiatives but also represent strategic investments in public health, tourism, climate resilience, and connectivity.
Similarly, the Greenways network is expanding year on year with over 400km of Greenway infrastructure now available. The investment of €62 million in our Greenways network in 2026 will support the delivery of the National and Regional Greenways Programme consisting of 55 greenway schemes at various stages of development. The allocation will also enable delivery of active travel infrastructure on national roads, and progress on the National Cycle Network (NCN). The NCN aims to deliver a cohesive network between our towns and cities and will include many existing and planned greenway routes. Cycle Connects represents the intra-urban cycling network (in all regions except the Greater Dublin Area) which sets out routes within urban centres in each county.
The development of Moving Together is a policy response to the recommendations of the OECD and will provide an overarching direction for achieving fair and equitable efficiencies in our transport system. It is guided by four key principles: Just Transition; Accessibility and Inclusion; Rural Recognition; and Economic and Financial Sustainability.
The Strategy is grounded in these principles, with a particular emphasis on a just transition. It will guide, support, and enable relevant authorities to implement demand-led measures at national, regional, and local levels to achieve emissions reduction targets alongside wider wellbeing benefits.
The Moving Together Strategy also considers the user-pays and polluter-pays approaches and includes an action to “review the current range of taxes and charges applying to transport.” Ultimately, responsibility for taxation matters, including any proposals such as levying taxes on weight, rests with the Department of Finance in this regard.
The actions that my Department has taken, and continues to take, align very closely with the recommendations of the report and I am wholeheartedly committed to delivering on the type of just transition envisaged.
