96. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Transport to provide an update on the work his Department is undertaking following the review of the national development plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52148/25]

Sentiment score: 0.01

Could the Minister provide an update on the work his Department is undertaking following the review of the national development plan? Could he specifically outline how projects are being assessed at the moment by his Department for inclusion in the plan, the criteria he is using to assess projects and how they will be prioritised in terms of timelines for delivery?

Sentiment score: 0.00

Funding announcements are very welcome but, obviously, what will matter is the delivery of projects and it is clear there are serious deficits in our transport infrastructure across the State. We have yet to see the detail of the plan and what projects are going to be funded and delivered. As Deputy Daly pointed out, the only project specifically mentioned in the NDP was MetroLink. As I have mentioned to the Minister many times, the west and north west is one of the most underdeveloped regions in Europe when it comes to infrastructure, particularly in respect of transport infrastructure. I can think of many projects such as the western rail corridor, the Gluas, many road projects and more that are badly needed in the west of Ireland. I ask the Minister to specifically outline how this plan will be regionally balanced. How will he ensure it is regionally balanced? Will he be applying a particular ratio in terms of funding, between the regions? How is he going to ensure that every region gets its fair share?

Sentiment score: 0.19

The question was how the Minister was going to ensure that is regionally balanced. In terms of regional balance, one issue I have repeatedly raised is overcrowding on rail services between Athenry and Galway. We have the passing loop coming at Oranmore, which is welcome, but it will be some time before that is delivered and ultimately, we need full double-tracking of that section between Athenry and Galway City. I urge the Minister to ensure that is included in his plan. In the short term, we have a real crisis for commuters travelling into Galway city from Athenry, as I have previously raised with the Minister. The 7.49 a.m. service from Athenry is the first morning service into Galway city. In recent weeks some services have been completely sold out. People have been left behind at platforms and people actually have been injured as a result of overcrowding. As these are people who work at the hospital in Galway and students who are forced to commute into the city because of accommodation shortages, a reliable rail service is absolutely critical to them. We do not have the capacity at present. When I previously raised this with the Minister, he said he would engage with Irish Rail on this issue. Can he provide an update on that and if any short-term solutions will be implemented?

Sentiment score: -0.02