Written Answers Nos. 307-326
308. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Transport if works for the provision of public toilets at Newbridge train station are complete; the scope of the works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55392/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport.
The query raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for Irish Rail. I have, therefore, referred the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
309. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Transport the plans to extend the Local Link service in County Kildare; the routes under review for expansion; the timeframes involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55394/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister of State at the Department of Transport with special responsibility for Rural Transport I recognise the importance of boosting connectivity in County Kildare. In the new Programme for Government, Securing Ireland's Future, this Government has committed to continue the roll-out of Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally, including responsibility for integrated local and rural transport, including delivering the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan.
In light of the NTA responsibilities I have referred your question to the NTA for direct reply to you. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
310. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Transport the plans to extend the Leap card to further stations in County Kildare (details supplied) the timeframe involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55395/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. However, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the regulation of fares charged to passengers in respect of public transport services provided under public service obligation (PSO) contracts.
In light of the NTA's responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
313. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Transport if he will review the current Leap Card policy for children aged five to nine, with a view to introducing a more flexible system for families, including the option to link multiple children to a single adult card; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55412/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. However, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the regulation of fares charged to passengers in respect of public transport services provided under public service obligation (PSO) contracts.
In light of the NTA's responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
314. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Transport the reason official communications regarding Leap Card applications are being issued from UK-based email domains, raising concerns about data protection and the outsourcing of public services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55413/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. However, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the regulation of fares charged to passengers in respect of public transport services provided under public service obligation (PSO) contracts.
In light of the NTA's responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
315. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Transport if he will advise on the extension of public bus services to the upper part of Ballymoneen Road in Knocknacarra, Galway (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55426/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy may be aware, BusConnects is a transformative programme of investment in the bus system, providing better bus services across our cities, including Galway. BusConnects is the largest investment in the bus system in the history of the State and is managed by the National Transport Authority (NTA).
In 2023, the NTA carried out an extensive review of the bus network in Galway, in collaboration with Galway City Council, Galway County Council, local bus operators, and with the specialised expertise of transport designers Jarrett Walker and Associates. In April 2023, a draft new network was published, and the feedback and submissions received have informed the final new bus network published in December 2023.
The new bus network will enable more people to avail of public transport, resulting in increased access to a greater number of schools and workplaces across Galway City, Bearna, and Oranmore. Once this network is implemented, circa 67% of residents will live within 400 metres of a high frequency bus route (running every 15 minutes or better).
There is a commitment under the Programme for Government to ensure that public transport operators provide safe and accessible access for all passengers and a commitment to work with local authorities and national bodies to improve public transport options and infrastructure.
Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for a direct reply. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 days.
316. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Transport if an application for a licence exchange can be expedited (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55442/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister of State for International & Road Transport, Logistics, Rail & Ports, I wish to advise that all enquiries relating to driver licensing are handled by the National Driver Licence Service, the provision of which I have delegated under national legislation to the Road Safety Authority.
I have referred this matter to the Authority for direct reply.
317. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Transport the reason for the delay in expediting a licence exchange application (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55443/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister of State for International & Road Transport, Logistics, Rail & Ports, I wish to advise that all enquiries relating to driver licensing are handled by the National Driver Licence Service, the provision of which I have delegated under national legislation to the Road Safety Authority.
I have referred this matter to the Authority for direct reply.
318. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Transport if upgrades to the N24 and Tipperary town bypass have been included in the funding allocation from Budget 2026; if not, the reason the project has been excluded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55475/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister for Transport, I 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.
I can confirm that €2,500,000 has been allocated for the N24 Cahir to Limerick Junction scheme (which includes a bypass of Tipperary town) in 2025. As with all national roads projects in the NDP, the delivery programme for the project will be kept under review for 2026 and considered in terms of the overall funding envelope available to TII. The process of determining allocations for 2026 will commence in the coming weeks.
Noting the above position, I have referred your question to TII for a direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.
319. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Transport if upgrades to Waterford- Limerick rail line have been included in the funding allocation from Budget 2026; if not, the reason the project has been excluded; when this project will receive a full budget allocation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55476/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy may be aware, the All-Island Strategic Rail Review was undertaken in co-operation with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. Following two public consultations, the Review’s Final Report was published in July 2024.
The Review's Final Report sets out 32 strategic recommendations to enhance and expand the rail system in Ireland and Northern Ireland up to 2050, aligning with net carbon zero commitments in both jurisdictions. The recommendations seek to transform the quality of the rail system to the benefit of passengers and wider society on the island, through additional track capacity, electrification, increased speeds, higher service frequencies and new routes. The recommendations include a proposal to upgrade Limerick Junction and the Limerick Junction – Waterford line.
Assisted by the European Investment Bank (EIB) Advisory Services, the Department of Transport and Department for Infrastructure, and agencies across the island, are working to progress the Report’s recommendations in the years ahead. As part of this work, a Project Prioritisation Strategy, which considers how best to optimise the sequencing and implementation of the Review recommendations, including both short-term interventions and longer-term projects, is at an advanced stage of preparation and is planned for publication later this year.
Moreover, the recently concluded review of the National Development Plan has confirmed the Department of Transport’s annual capital allocations from 2026 to 2030. The Department is currently reviewing key programmes and projects in the transport sector in the context of that capital funding envelope, including plans for investment in the rail network, and a decision on a programme of delivery within the available funding will be made in the coming months.
It should also be noted that individual programmes and projects referred to within the Rail Review will be advanced subject to funding and relevant approvals.
320. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Transport for an update on his Department’s work to support the decarbonisation of public local bus routes, as committed to in the Climate Action Plan 2025 and due in Quarter 4 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55479/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister for Transport, one of the key priorities under Ireland’s EU Just Transition Fund Programme is to provide former peat communities with smart and sustainable mobility options to enable them to benefit directly from the green transition which is targeted at the wider Midlands Region.
The territory includes counties Laois, Longford, Offaly, Roscommon, Westmeath, as well as the municipal districts of Ballinasloe (Galway), Carrick on Suir, Thurles (Tipperary), Athy, and Clane-Maynooth (Kildare).
The Department is currently focussing on exploring two Public Transport enhancements, with the National Transport Authority (NTA) leading on the operational elements:
• Decarbonisation of a public local rural bus route including scoping, installation of electric charging points, and purchase of electric buses - (also Action JM/25/6 from the Climate Action Plan 2025); and
• Support to private bus operators in the territory to move to electric vehicles including consultancy support and support for specific aspect of the electrification upgrade.
Action JM/25/6 from the Climate Action Plan is progressing well with works to commence on the installation of an electric charging point at Longford Bus Éireann depot during Q4 of 2025. Additionally, a TFI Local Link route has also been selected as the focus, and work is ongoing in the NTA on the procurement of electric buses to be deployed on the route.
321. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Transport for an update on his Department’s work to support the decarbonisation of the fleet of private bus operators, as committed to in the Climate Action Plan 2025 and due in Quarter 4 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55480/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister for Transport, one of the key priorities under Ireland’s EU Just Transition Fund Programme is to provide former peat communities with smart and sustainable mobility options to enable them to benefit directly from the green transition which is targeted at the wider Midlands Region.
The territory includes counties Laois, Longford, Offaly, Roscommon, Westmeath, as well as the municipal districts of Ballinasloe (Galway), Carrick on Suir, Thurles (Tipperary), Athy, and Clane-Maynooth (Kildare).
The Department is currently focussing on exploring two Public Transport enhancements:
• Decarbonisation of public local rural bus route(s) including scoping, installation of electric charging points, and purchase of electric buses, and
• Support to private bus operators in the territory to move to electric vehicles including consultancy support and support for specific aspect of the electrification upgrade - Action JM25/7 of the Climate Action Plan.
During 2024 the NTA opened a call to support the decarbonisation of fleet for private bus operators in the EU JTF Territory with a grant directly funded through the JTF Scheme. An event was held in October 2024 to provide essential guidance and consultation for private operators in the region who are interested in transitioning their fleets to electric vehicles.
Eligible bus operators could then progress to further consultancy to kick start the operator’s move to electric vehicles.
Action JM25/7 of the Climate Action Plan is progressing well with bus operators being provided with ongoing consultation, and those who are successful in their applications are progressing to the offer of grant funding. A workshop was held with the transport operators in September 2025 to progress the next steps and detailed design works have commenced at the transport operator’s premises.
322. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Transport for an update on his Department’s finalisation of the recalibrated Transport Decarbonisation Policy Pathway, as committed to in the Climate Action Plan 2025 and due in Quarter 3 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55481/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has been working closely with the National Transport Authority (NTA) to deliver the Corrective Actions Modelling Project, the aims of which are threefold:
1. Identify potential pathways to correct the trajectory of carbon emissions from the transport sector out to 2030.
2. Identify whether any additional measures, above and beyond those required to keep the transport sector within its sectoral emissions ceilings, could be proposed to deliver currently unallocated savings for carbon budget period 2 (2026-2030).
3. Identify decarbonisation interventions and policy pathways that will continue to deliver sustained and accelerated emissions abatement beyond 2030 into Carbon Budget 3.
The detailed scope of this project was agreed between my Department and the NTA in late 2024 and there has been extensive engagement in 2025 with stakeholders to develop and define emissions abatement measures. The NTA’s models, including the Regional Modelling System and the Carbon Forecasting Tool, are being used to test new and existing AVOID – SHIFT – IMPROVE measures under three different scenarios for their potential impact on carbon emissions in the transport sector out to 2030 and 2035. A socioeconomic assessment is also underway alongside the scenario modelling work to evaluate the distributional, social and economic impacts of measures to ensure a just transition.
The Corrective Actions Modelling Project will inform future iterations of the Climate Action Plan and wider policy initiatives within the transport decarbonisation domain.
323. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Transport for an update on his Department’s development of the new Sustainability Mobility Policy Action Plan for 2026 and 2030, as committed to in the Climate Action Plan 2025 and due in Quarter 3 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55482/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, the National Sustainable Mobility Policy (SMP) sets out a strategic framework to 2030 for promoting greater levels of walking, cycling, and public transport, in support of climate, health, and accessibility goals. The SMP was published in 2022 and was accompanied by a SMP Action Plan 2022-2025. A Leadership Group, which oversees the implementation of this Plan, provides annual updates on its progress - these can be found at [https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-transport/publications/national-sustainable-mobility-policy/].
As the existing SMP Action Plan is due to expire at the end of this year, my Department is currently developing a successor Action Plan to cover the period 2026 – 2030, as committed to in the Climate Action Plan 2025 and the Programme for Government 2025.
I'm happy to report that, from early 2025, extensive stakeholder engagement has taken place to inform the shape of this new Action Plan. Most prominently, a series of National Sustainable Mobility Forum events were held in May. These comprised four events, two in Dublin and Galway and two online, which brought together a wide range of stakeholders including Government Departments, transport agencies, public transport operators, local authorities, shared mobility providers, academia, business, Disabled People’s Organisations, transport advocacy groups, the health sector and Public Participation Networks. The insights gathered were set out in the published report, available at [https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-transport/publications/national-sustainable-mobility-forum-may-2025/], which is playing a central role in shaping the new Action Plan.
Following the recent review of the National Development Plan, my Department is currently preparing a sectoral investment plan for transport, which will outline the key projects to be delivered between 2026 and 2030. To ensure that the next SMP Action Plan is fully aligned with capital investment priorities and broader Government commitments, the timeline for delivery of the Action Plan has been adjusted. It is now intended that a draft SMP Action Plan 2026–2030 will be submitted to the above Leadership Group for consideration at its quarterly meeting in January 2026, with the expectation that the finalised Action Plan will be published shortly thereafter following the approval of Government.
324. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Transport for an update on his Department’s work on the All-Island Strategic Rail Review and in choosing the projects that are due to be delivered by 2035, as committed to in the Climate Action Plan 2025 and due in Quarter 4 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55483/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy may be aware, the All-Island Strategic Rail Review was undertaken in co-operation with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. Following two public consultations, the Review’s Final Report was published in July 2024.
The Review's Final Report sets out 32 strategic recommendations to enhance and expand the rail system in Ireland and Northern Ireland up to 2050, aligning with net carbon zero commitments in both jurisdictions. The recommendations seek to transform the quality of the rail system to the benefit of passengers and wider society on the island, through additional track capacity, electrification, increased speeds, higher service frequencies and new routes.
Assisted by the European Investment Bank (EIB) Advisory Services, the Department of Transport and Department for Infrastructure, and agencies across the island, are working to progress the Report’s recommendations in the years ahead. As part of this work, a Project Prioritisation Strategy, which considers how best to optimise the sequencing and implementation of the Review recommendations, including both short-term interventions and longer-term projects, is at an advanced stage of preparation and is planned for publication later this year.
Moreover, the recently concluded review of the National Development Plan has confirmed the Department of Transport’s annual capital allocations from 2026 to 2030. The Department is currently reviewing key programmes and projects in the transport sector in the context of that capital funding envelope, including plans for investment in the rail network, and a decision on a programme of delivery within the available funding will be made in the coming months.
It should also be noted that individual programmes and projects referred to within the Rail Review will be advanced subject to funding and relevant approvals.
325. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Transport for an update on his Department’s work on the advancement of the Enterprise Replacement Fleet project, as committed to in the Climate Action Plan 2025 and due in Quarter 3 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55484/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy may be aware, the Enterprise rail service is the only cross-border rail service on the island of Ireland. It is a well-known symbol of North-South cooperation and provides an important public transport link operating between Dublin and Belfast.
In October 2024, the Enterprise moved to a near hourly service supported by funding provided by the Shared Island Fund. The Enterprise now operates 15 services in each direction between Dublin to Belfast from Mondays to Saturdays, with eight return services on Sundays.
The Enterprise Fleet Replacement Programme will replace the current rolling stock of four diesel trains with a more sustainable fleet of eight trains. This programme is progressing as the current Enterprise rail fleet will reach the end of its standard design life later this decade. In addition to this, the current frequency of Enterprise service since October 2024 is only made possible by augmenting the four current Enterprise train sets with two non-Enterprise sets on a temporary basis.
Iarnród Éireann and Translink Northern Ireland Railways have secured approval in principle for funding of €165 million for the Enterprise Fleet Replacement Programme under the PEACEPLUS cross-border EU programme, which is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), a North South Implementation Body established under the Good Friday Agreement. The balance of funding for the programme will be provided jointly through the Department of Transport and the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland on a 50:50 basis.
The procurement process for this project is now nearing completion, and Iarnród Éireann and Translink have a well-developed business case. The contract for the manufacturing of the new Enterprise fleet is expected to be awarded in the near future, subject to final funding approval from the Northern Ireland Executive, the SEUPB, and subject to approval from the Government of Ireland at Approval Gate 3 of the Infrastructure Guidelines.
The first of the new Enterprise trains are expected to be delivered by 2029. They will then need to undergo testing to ensure they meet the required safety and operational standards before they can be used by passengers. The Enterprise Fleet Replacement Programme will reduce the intercity journey time of the route to less than two hours and should improve the timetable to a typical hourly frequency of 16 return services.
326. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Transport for an update on his Department’s review of the National Ports Policy, as committed to in the Climate Action Plan 2025 and due in Quarter 3 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55485/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department plans to conduct a public consultation on a draft version of the revised National Ports Policy in Q4 2025, subject to the completion of the relevant associated environmental assessment of the draft document. This second public consultation will build on the thematic issues paper, published in October 2023, to which over 70 responses were received and assessed by Department's officials. Following the first public consultation on the issues paper and consideration of the responses received from stakeholders, the Irish Maritime Development Office was commissioned to carry out further research on national port capacity post-2040, which research is presently being reviewed.
Once the public consultation on the draft revision to the National Ports Policy is launched in Q4 2025, I look forward to the same level of stakeholder engagement with this second public consultation as occurred with the first.
