It is my understanding that it is likely to be multistorey. The Deputy is correct that as part of these improvements to the DART station, there is a temporary reduction in car park spaces, from approximately 270 to 170 spaces. There is a short-term reduction but, subject to planning permission, the current spaces are due to be replaced with a more significant parking service. Park-and-ride services have a role and are an important part of the various solutions. They may help to address some of the issues I mentione…

-----where people are taking 2 km or 3 km trips. That is not the sort of situation for which we are looking to provide a park-and-ride service. It is more for helping with long-term solutions. The solution in the case of Portmarnock has to come from the local authority. Fingal County Council is starting to step up by making sure there are proper footpaths and safe cycling access, so that we can start getting what is available in Dutch towns and cities where there are massive bike parking facilities beside railway s…

Bikes and trains go well together.

I will make one last point. It might be seen as tangential but I think it is central. There was a very important report two years ago, which I think was called Travelling in a Woman's Shoes, which was about safety and public transport for women or other users who may not feel safe at night. Some of the investment in Portmarnock DART Station has improved lighting, the public realm and the sense of safety and security and made the station more attractive. That is a really important part of the developments we need in…

The NTA's smarter travel programme is encouraging more sustainable travel to and from workplaces. That potential is one of the reasons the smarter travel mark was selected to form part of my Department’s sustainable mobility policy pathfinder programme. That programme is about selecting demonstration projects to show how we can transform our country and our transport system quickly. Using funding provided by my Department, the smarter travel mark was launched earlier this year and seeks to recognise and celebrate o…

The Deputy is absolutely right. Another example, one the Leas-Cheann Comhairle may be more familiar with, is at Parkmore in Galway. There we have some of the worst traffic gridlock, which is not serving anyone's interests. There have been some very detailed surveys to think fundamentally about how we can change the way people get to the business park, but also how they travel within it. The Deputy is right that innovative solutions are going to be key. I cannot help noticing a connection with the Deputy's previous …

I absolutely agree. One of the benefits of our smarter travel programme, with which the business parks at Raheen, Ringaskiddy and Eastpoint are involved, could be the businesses collectively coming together to provide a common transport service within the business park. That might be a really good part of how that smarter travel mark is judged so we really reward the organisations and business parks that start to put the sustainability of the park centre stage.

I thank the Deputy for the question. As he is aware, the Government continues to invest heavily in improving our rail network. This includes initiatives such as the DART+ programme and the previous Government's approval of the purchase of an additional 41 intercity railcars, or ICRs. Looking ahead, the DART+ programme will extend and enhance the current DART system and services west to Maynooth and Celbridge-Hazelhatch. The DART+ fleet project will introduce electric and battery electric units to the DART network o…

I agree with the Deputy that this is the easiest, quickest and best available solution to us, helped by the fact that the carriages will be ready to go within a number of months. Iarnród Éireann will have to assess where the real bottlenecks lie. Deputy Durkan is suggesting there is a regular pattern of overcrowding in Kildare, which I can well imagine, as well as on the northern line, which was mentioned earlier. These are two areas of difficulty. In Dublin, there are real problems with housing, and lots of young …

Again, I agree with the Deputy. In terms of making sure that people get to their destination on time, the new carriages are key but the other key project, particularly for Deputy Durkan's constituents, is DART+, which cannot come quick enough. That project is very ambitious and involves a tripling of the carrying capacity of the DART network, an expansion of that network and a switch to battery electric trains, as well as the existing electric system that the DART runs on. That is currently in planning and, like a …

As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding in relation to the national roads programme. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with TII under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015, and in line with the national development plan, the planning, design, improvement and upgrading of individual national roads is a matter for TII, in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. TII ultimately delivers the national roads programme in line with Project Ireland 2040, the N…

I am absolutely committed and we will continue to keep projects under review. We want to deliver, build and develop all projects in the NDP. If there is not sufficient funding to allow this project to get through route selection, we will make sure more is provided. A similar question was asked earlier on the allocation of resources. We have a challenge in that we have some €100 billion worth of projects already in planning, not including a number of projects such as the widening of the rail track north of Dublin an…

I absolutely agree with Deputy Troy that road safety has to be our first priority. It is everyone's first priority. Particularly as public representatives, and also in our own private lives, we have all seen the tragedy that road deaths and serious injuries bring. We have to design our transport system, first and foremost, to make sure that we reduce that. I will meet the board of TII. I met them last year and I will be meeting them at the next board meeting. One of the key questions I will be putting to them is wh…

I understand that the Deputy is referring to both antisocial behaviour and accessibility issues at Clongriffin DART station. As he is aware, Clongriffin station has suffered vandalism where the station's glass facades, on the elevation over the tracks, were shattered on a number of occasions. To address this a project has commenced by Iarnród Éireann, focused on reconstructing the facades. This project, which is being funded by the NTA, will remove the shattered glass panels and replace them with newly constructed …

Earlier I was asked a question about Portmarnock DART station, which was very similar in this regard. I will say the same thing I said to Deputy Duncan Smith in responding earlier. There is a significant proposal in place. There is a 400-car car park that was closed during Covid and has not reopened, as I understand it. There are potential developments, including the development of an underground car park that is owned by a developer. I believe that one of the real benefits of transport-led development and developm…

To conclude, I will repeat the response to the question I answered earlier regarding DART+, DART stations in the Kildare region and, similarly, the rest of the DART network. The quicker we deliver DART+, including increased capacity, better trains, and new DART trains, the better. The existing DART trains have served us well, but they are 40 years old, coming to the end of their natural life and very expensive to maintain. Part of the DART+ programme is about replacing the fleet and cascading old trains out. I thin…

I want to reassure the Deputy that the Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens, including students, reliable and realistic public transport options. To assist with the cost of public transport travel, under budget 2023 I secured funding for the continuation of both the 20% average public service obligation, PSO, fare reduction and the young adult card scheme, which provides eligible third level students with a 50% reduction on PSO and participating commercial bus services. These fare initiatives …

I absolutely agree. The Government approved the draft of the new upgraded planning Bill earlier in the week. At the press conference, I was asked if I was supportive. I said I was and I was asked why. One of the reasons is that I can see as Minister for Transport how long it takes us to get projects from conception to being built. The Deputy is right. I would prefer if all those improvements to bus services were here this year but they are likely to be next year and the year after. That is because it takes us rough…

Yes. That is the sort of ambition we need for improving public transport.

More than anything else, it requires the reallocation of road space, which requires brave decisions at local councillor level in particular. I expect An Bord Pleanála to start issuing the planning permissions for BusConnects in the coming weeks. Then we have to deliver. We have to collectively deliver in local authorities as well as in central government.