As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. Under the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008, the National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for the provision of public transport infrastructure and services within the Greater Dublin Area. In the case of the rail network, the NTA fulfils this statutory remit in collaboration with Iarnród Éireann, while in the case of the Luas network, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) handle day-to-day Luas operations, including maintenance.
Noting the NTA's responsibilities in this matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA and to TII for a direct, detailed response. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.
Pending a more detailed response, I note that Bank Holiday weekends are typically chosen to undertake projects of significant scale as the the extra weekend day gives 76 continuous hours of access to infrastructure, and allows maintenance works to achieve more progress more efficiently, while avoiding impacts on weekday commuters on days when the railway is busiest.
I would also like to note that, in the case of DART and rail services, no further major engineering works are planned for the weekends over the remainder of the summer.
