Louis O'Hara
Ceist:181. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Transport his Department’s efforts to ensure regional balance in capital expenditure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2321/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 15 January 2026
Ceisteanna (181)
Freagraí scríofa
This Government is committed to balanced regional development and recognises the role of essential infrastructure, such as transport, in delivering on that commitment. The National Planning Framework seeks to counteract the long-standing over-concentration of population and economic activity in Dublin and the Eastern Midlands region by promoting ‘regional parity’. This approach aims to distribute population growth more evenly across the regions and transport is a key lever in supporting this goal.
The National Development Plan Review 2025 - Sectoral Investment Plan for Transport, published in November 2025, sets out the investment framework for the period 2026-2030. The plan recognises demographics and balanced regional growth as drivers of capital needs. The Sectoral Investment Plan for Transport is committed to ensuring that infrastructure planning and resource allocation are responsive to demographic trends.
Planning and investment strategies have a strong regional focus. Investment in the regional cities of Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford will be guided by Metropolitan Area Transport Strategies. These strategies set out the multi-modal investment strategies for twenty-year periods, reviewed every six years. These encompass all modes including enhanced rail and bus investment programmes. Indeed, significant is already taking place, for example in the development of BusConnects for each city, Cork Commuter Rail project and in the Waterford North Quays project.
Road and rail inter-urban connectivity is also a strong focus. The Department of Transport, together with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland, published the Rail Project Prioritisation Strategy in December 2025. This Strategy outlines how to best sequence and optimise the recommendations of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review, which was published in July 2024.
The Rail Strategy specifies short-term rail infrastructure investments, referred to as Early Interventions, to be delivered in the coming years, including new track passing loops and platforms to boost the rail network’s resilience and capacity, which are funded, under the NDP Sectoral Investment Plan for Transport published by the Department in November 2025, to be fully delivered by 2030. It will also include progression of the Western Rail Corridor between Athenry – Claremorris.
The Sectoral Investment Plan sets out the ongoing and planned road investments, for example the N5 Ballaghderreen to Scramogue, Adare Bypass, M28 Cork to Ringaskiddy, and the Donegal TEN-T Project. In total, 30 roads projects will be progressed under the Plan.
Significant investment will continue to take place in active travel. In 2024 Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) published the National Cycle Network Plan was published which proposes a network of approximately 3,500km linking cities and towns of over 5,000 people via a safe, connected and inviting cycle network. In addition, the National Transport Authority (NTA) has developed CycleConnects which sets out an approach towards developing and interconnected network or primary, secondary and tertiary routes within cities, towns and villages across every county. 2026 includes investments such as the Sustainable Transport Bridge in Waterford, the Glanmire Urban Greenway and the South Kerry Greenway.
Meeting Ireland’s climate ambitions is a key driver of investment need. Significant investment is taking place and will continue to take place in electrification of private transport networks. A number of strategies have been developed by Zero Emissions Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI) which will assist in balanced regional investment. This includes a national Light Duty Vehicle scheme to invest in the motorway charging network; local authority EV charging strategies and implementation plans; and the Shared Island Sports Club EV Charging scheme.
The National Aviation Policy (NAP) recognises the role of regional airports in supporting connectivity and regional development and commits to encouraging airports to attract new business, to achieve excellence in the delivery of service and value for passengers and airlines, and to make a sustainable contribution to their respective local economies and communities.
The Programme for Government commits to the continuation of investment in the Regional Airports Programme and to develop a new Regional Airports Programme 2026-2030. The Sectoral Investment Plan for Transport under the recent National Development Plan (NDP) Review will provide almost €45million investment in regional airports over this period, with €9million in capital available for allocation in 2026 under the new Programme.
Taken together, the national and regional transport investment strategies, and associated funding commitments will ensure balanced regional investment in transport to meet the needs of our economy and society.