Like the Deputy, I am eager to see next generation ticketing rolled out on the Irish public transport system. I look forward to seeing its introduction as part of BusConnects Dublin before ultimately being delivered across the entire public transport network. Many people have seen contactless ticketing systems in other countries and feel like it is taking a long time to deliver here. As I have previously explained, which was in the reply to another question I did not have to answer, we introduced the new Leap ticketing system as the financial crisis took hold and investment in updated ticketing technology was held back. The good news is that we now have the funding available to make the move to new ticketing technology and the National Transport Authority, NTA, has entered into a contract with Indra to deliver the project. The initial focus of the project is on the greater Dublin area, to be rolled out in four phases. This is a major, complex project, with an estimated capital cost of over €160 million to implement it in the greater Dublin area alone. Phase 1 is due to launch in September 2027. It will test contactless payment on a number of new validators or ticket machines. Phase 2 will be ready in summer 2028, allowing passengers on Dublin's bus and Luas services to use the next generation ticketing technology, including contactless payments on validators. Plans for phases 3 and 4 remain under development at the moment. The project’s governance structure is in line with the governance requirements of the infrastructure guidelines and, as an ICT project, it has been subject to appropriate scrutiny under Circular 02/2016. At a recent meeting with the NTA, the Minister emphasised the project's importance to the travelling public. He is looking forward to rolling out next generation ticketing over the next years.
Sentiment score: 0.15
With next generation ticketing, there is much to take into account, since the scope of what it will deliver covers all public services, buses, trams and train stations, including bus validators, ticket machines, ticket vending machines, station gates, tram and train platform validators, and an account-based ticketing solution delivered on modern cloud-hosting technology. It is important to note that it is not just a matter of giving somebody a card or going contactless. This is next generation ticketing and it will be used for a good number of years. It is not like a Leap card system, which is very simple. It is important to make sure that whatever we use is fit for purpose and is tested before it is rolled out fully. It is better to do it right and make sure it is right at the end.
Sentiment score: 0.39
I will have to check that out for the Deputy and see what plans there are. When we are introducing a new system like this, as has often been seen in the past, if it is not done right, it can cause huge problems and there can be significant anxiety and frustration when the system is not working right. The idea is to introduce a small number of bus, tram and train validators, test them and prove their functionality first. It is important that we do that before committing to large-scale deployment. I agree with the Deputy that we were slow to get to this. Owing to what happened in the economy in 2007 and 2008, this was put on the back burner because it was not deemed to be essential. Nowadays, with the demand for public transport and people wanting to use it, we have to provide this technology to make sure that people get tickets and get onto trains, buses and trams with ease.
Sentiment score: 0.14
My Department has 19 agencies in total, 12 commercial and seven non-commercial, which have either a CEO or commissioner running the organisation. All CEO and commissioner contracts under the aegis of my Department have terms and conditions based on sanction received from the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation. All CEO salaries and benefits are published in the company’s annual report and financial statements, in keeping with the business and financial reporting requirements of the 2016 code of practice for the governance of State bodies. In 2024, the senior post remuneration committee carried out a review of the remuneration arrangements for CEOs of commercial State bodies. This was the first such review since 2011. It was necessary to align CEO salaries with the market and to deal with recruitment and retention issues in commercial State bodies. The results of that review were published in March of this year. Following that review, the committee designated salary bands with defined salary parameters for each commercial agency. Requests received by the Department within those parameters are considered and approved by the Minister and then require sanction from the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation. No salary increases for a CEO under the aegis of my Department are approved without the prior sanction of the Minister for public expenditure. Since the publication of the review and associated salary bands, two of the 12 commercial agencies under my Department have been awarded salary increases. Both of these agencies, Iarnród Éireann and Bus Éireann, were undergoing recruitment campaigns for new CEOs. Any increase in salaries that has been sanctioned following this process is in keeping with the salary band provided for these posts by the senior post remuneration committee review.
Sentiment score: 0.13
First, the salary increases are in line with the aegis of the Department of public expenditure and reform and the guidelines set out by it. It is important to say that salaries of CEOs are in line with the responsibilities they take on. They vary from agency to agency, depending on the responsibility they have, the number of people working in the organisation and all that goes with that. With State and semi-State agencies, it is important that we have people in control who are able to progress Government policy, expenditure and infrastructure changes, especially in the area of transport where at all times we are trying to improve our roads, rail and all of our transport infrastructure. It is important that we attract the best people to these jobs. It is a fine balance. I hear what the Deputy is saying but it is a fine balance between having these State agencies operating in an effective manner and carrying out their jobs properly while also working within the bands set out by the Department of public expenditure and reform.
Sentiment score: 0.40
The Deputy talked about the minimum wage but the minimum wage was increased in the budget. It is important to keep a balance on the discussion. When it comes to people at senior management level, you are trying to make sure that we get the best value for money. In the context of the Department of Transport, as billions of euro are being invested in transport, that is important. Every chief executive who is working within transport and is responsible for the running of these organisations has a lot of people and responsibility. It is important to say that we have the right people in those positions. I do not disagree that there are people who need more pay but it is not related. The performance has been tested and there is a demand for people who can run the agencies to get the best out of them. It is about getting the best value for money in order that money is not wasted and we have money to pay for other services. That is important. The balance has to be kept in that regard.
Sentiment score: 0.35
I thank the Deputy very much for raising the question. I assure him my Department and the agencies that work under it are all fully aware of the need to ensure we have a transport system designed for all users and accessible to everyone. We have made progress in this regard in recent years, but still there is a lot to be done. We are committed to that work in the years ahead to deliver on the ambition of pillar 5 of the new national human rights strategy for disabled people. Turning specifically to rail, Iarnród Éireann continuously works to enhance accessibility upgrades to all stations and services, and the investment programmes, to ensure that accessibility is integrated from design stage to fruition. This includes engagement with the Irish Rail disability users group and other disability representative bodies throughout the course of design. Focusing on the specifics of the Deputy's question regarding DART stations in north Dublin, these stations are inspected and maintained on a continuous basis to ensure Iarnród Éireann meets the required standards in terms of accessibility and customer experience. All DART stations in north Dublin are accessible by means of a lift, platform or ramp. The big lift programme saw investment in existing lifts at 52 stations across the network between 2020 and 2024, significantly improving lift reliability. The liftcall system is also in place at most station lifts, ensuring live monitored access and preventing vandalism and anti-social behaviour. All stations undergo cyclical work and general maintenance, with minor station improvements as required. For example, Iarnród Éireann is currently replacing stairwells at the Clontarf Road station that were due for renewal. Iarnród Éireann is satisfied at this time that no station is in current disrepair. However, if there is a specific issue at a particular station that the Deputy wants to raise, I would be happy to go back to Irish Rail-Iarnród Éireann on his behalf.
Sentiment score: 0.32
I am just looking here at information for the Howth station. Some general maintenance and cyclical work are being carried out, including line marking and nosing on stairwells. An anti-slip surface will be placed on all stairwells. Access to all platforms via lifts or stairs is the accessibility element. On the Deputy's specific question of what Iarnród Éireann did before it carried out works and the notification thereof, I will go back to the company and try to find out what it did and get the answers for him. If he wants to give me the specific questions, I will go back to Iarnród Éireann on them. Of all the stations, many are mentioned in the reply. There are ten or 12 stations and work is being carried out on them all to keep them all right with accessibility on every one of them: ramps to platforms, ramps and lift to platform 1 and a ramp to platform 2 and platforms via accessible ramps. The accessibility standards have been set out for each one of them. The one in Clongriffin underwent significant improvement works and the tender has gone out for the replacement of the stairwells there. On that lift and stairs, Iarnród Éireann does not own the stairs and lifts that lead to the coast development and has not at any time been responsible for their maintenance. Maybe my things are getting confused as well.
Sentiment score: 0.07
I accept what Deputy Heneghan is saying in that we have to have public engagement when we are carrying out works so people know what is going on. The Deputy might send to my office what the issues and problems are and what the stations are. He mentioned Kilbarrack there. It says here line-marking and nosing of stairwell and it talks about surface repairs but, if the Deputy sends me the list and the time the works were carried out, I will get an answer for him. It is an important thread that is coming through all night in the questions. Where you have customer dissatisfaction, the important thing is that if we hear about it and we try to get corrective action. At the end of the day, my philosophy and that of the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer and the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, is that if somebody is using public transport, we need to give them a response and an experience such that they will continue to use public transport and be able to rely on it. That is important, especially for people with disabilities. I know Deputy Heneghan is very passionate about that.
Sentiment score: 0.10
I thank the Deputy for asking this very important question. Based on large-scale surveys and analysis from the NTA's Walking and Cycling Index 2023 for Ireland’s five metropolitan areas - Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick-Shannon, and Waterford - active travel is delivering significant environmental benefits nationally. Walking, wheeling and cycling in these metropolitan areas remove approximately 680,000 car trips every day, reducing congestion and meaningfully cutting emissions. In 2023 alone, active travel saved an estimated 160,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to 2.2 million passenger trips from Dublin to London Heathrow. In addition to environmental benefits, the economic impact of active travel across the five metropolitan areas is estimated at over €3 billion annually, alongside major and important improvements in public health and air quality. The Deputy refers specifically to commuters in County Dublin and I am delighted to say that every day those commuters who walk, wheel or cycle are taking nearly 530,000 cars off the road in the Dublin metropolitan area. These practices are saving approximately 120,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. I have more figures here for the Deputy. To ensure we are moving in the right direction, the NTA, in conjunction with the relevant local authorities, has produced a transport strategy for the greater Dublin area, as well as metropolitan area transport strategies for the cities of Cork, Limerick and Waterford, with one under way for Galway. These strategies set out the measures that will help us achieve a 51% reduction in emissions by 2030 and set us on a path towards zero net emissions by 2050. To verify that the measures in the strategies are being implemented in a co-ordinated, effective and timely manner, the NTA will undertake a monitoring programme and will produce a report which will be finalised for the greater Dublin area in advance of the review of the strategy for the greater Dublin area, which is due to commence in 2026.
Sentiment score: 0.45
As I said, large-scale surveys were carried out in 2023. That is what we have at this stage. When we are investing money in active travel we want to make sure before we start that it will actually deliver what it says on the tin and we want to see afterwards if we got the necessary outputs. That is the same for every infrastructure project we carry out. There is an assessment carried out before projects are started to see what benefits they will bring. I will go back to the Department to see what other data we have or hope to get because, from my own background, I understand that if we are spending money on something, we have to find out if it is value for money, and not just in an intangible way. We have to see the facts and figures. It is important we see the outcomes that are delivered from the investment of taxpayers' money in these projects. I welcome the Deputy's question on this matter.
Sentiment score: 0.27
From the surveys and data I have given the Deputy, I am convinced we are reducing CO2 emissions. In my own opinion, having been talking about this issue for the past hour and a half, when we put in active travel measures we need to talk about having effective public transport. We have an integrated transport travel system that will give an experience to pedestrians, cyclists and people using public transport so they will continue to use that. As regards some of the improvements we have to make, in order to get more cars off the road we have to be able to say to people that they will be able to get to places on time, will be able to go shopping and get a bus back, will be able to get to work because a service will be there for them, and that they will have a bit of comfort in whatever mode of transport they use. That is the challenge and with the demands we have, it is important we continue to challenge ourselves to make sure we are delivering value for money and getting the results we want.
Sentiment score: 0.49
I thank the Deputy for the question. It is important we discuss the all-island rail review, for which I have overall responsibility. I have a passion for rail and think it is important we restore as many of the lines as possible and do as many of the connections we can, especially in the west and north west where rail is lacking, and in the Deputy's constituency. I met some people in Ulster in relation to the connection between Derry and Letterkenny and the line from Portadown through Down. We have the basis for this, namely, the all-island rail strategy. We have identified projects that can be done quickly and that we can get ready for implementation. When we launch our sectoral plan that will show exactly what we are doing. I am delighted the Deputy raised this specific area because sometimes we look at Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway but we need to make sure the west, north west and all around are connected by rail, as they should be, and right up into Northern Ireland, as we are doing on the Dublin to Belfast line. It is important we keep that momentum going and I look forward to working with the Deputy on that over the next four years.
Sentiment score: 0.27