The DART+ programme, including DART+ South West, is a priority investment for me as Minister and for the Department of Transport. Collectively, the programme will triple the length of the electrified Dublin commuter rail network and double its capacity, with customers starting to experience tangible benefits from the middle of next year when services to and from Drogheda come into operation. That is the first iteration of the programme. In terms of DART+ South West specifically, a major milestone was cleared in November 2024 when the project secured full planning approval. Procurement for both DART+ South West and DART+ West is now progressing, with pre-qualification questionnaires for design and build works advertised for both in May 2025. Last year, the national development plan allocated funding to advance DART+ West into construction from late next year. DART+ West must proceed first in terms of the infrastructure programmes, as it includes a new depot to house the expanded DART fleet and necessary city centre capacity upgrades to expedite the subsequent delivery of DART+ South West. The two projects are interlinked. The procurement approach will see supplier frameworks established across both projects for common project elements. That will enable us to advance the projects sooner. NDP funding was also allocated to commence the compulsory purchase order process for DART+ South West. That commenced in February this year. I will continue to engage with colleagues on this project. It is my intention, through the frameworks I have outlined, to deliver elements of both projects together, including the depot. There is some scheduling to be done between the two projects but they are an absolute commitment for us and we intend to deliver them.
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I have not misled the House. I do not do that and the Deputy should withdraw that comment.
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This is the first time the Deputy has come into the Chamber for transport questions to even ask about this project. He is feigning an interest in it. Other colleagues across other parties regularly advocate for this. The Deputy does not like good news and he does not like to see any progress on anything because it does not suit-----
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-----his political narrative.
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I have missed the Deputy from my days in the Department of housing. He continues to barrack people all of the time. He lost that debate too, in the last general election. We are going to deliver this project. We have published an NDP that is fully funded. We are bringing the funding forward on this for DART+ West and DART+ South West. It is clear; I have said it and that is what is happening. There is no resiling from that whatsoever. This period of time is actually the delivery period for many transformational public transport projects right across the country. It might disappoint the Deputy to actually see those commencing and being delivered because it gives him less to give out about.
Sentiment score: -0.09
I have respect for his constituents but it is very difficult to respect the Deputy when he continues to behave in this way. I completely reject what he has said. It is the first time in 18 months that he has come into this Chamber and bothered to take the time to raise this project that apparently he cares so much about. I contrast that with his colleague, Deputy Shane Moynihan, who has regularly raised it, advocated and sought meetings with the NTA.
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I do not know how things operate in Sinn Féin but I have a fair idea. The Deputy may get away with bullying people in his own party but he will not bully or barrack me.
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Is there any point in even trying to answer?
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Pathetic, Eoin, pathetic.
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You are pathetic.
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I thank Deputy McAuliffe for tabling this important question. I am sure he will agree that Luas Finglas is an exciting project that has the potential to transform Finglas and the wider area around it. There are about 58,000 households in that area. The project will also provide benefits for those living far beyond the immediate community. The park-and-ride facility at St. Margaret's Road and the interchanges with heavy rail and bus at Broombridge, which Deputy McAuliffe and I visited, will allow anyone using those services to connect with the wider public transport network. This is a fantastic project. Importantly, the project will reduce journey times, get people out of cars, help with decarbonisation, provide a more efficient transport system and support the development of businesses and housing in the area. As the Deputy will be aware, we have had a clean railway order in place since October 2025. Three judicial review applications were submitted. However, these have been successfully resolved. I commend TII and the parties involved on the work they did in this regard. This means that Luas Finglas now has, in effect, full planning permission. In November, my Department published its NDP in which it noted the construction of Luas Finglas. The project team in TII is currently preparing for future phases of the project, including drafting and updating the detailed business case, the procurement strategy and the tender documents. TII is seeking to position the project to a ready-to-start stage, with the aim that the main design and build contract being tendered at the start of next year. I want to bring this forward at that point in order that we can look to accelerating it with a view to getting into construction in 2028. This project will have immense benefits for Deputy McAuliffe's area. He has been a really strong advocate for it. If we look at the previous NDP, the project was sitting in the middle of the 2030s. TII is really excited about this project. It is 3.9 km of off-road development. We can bring it forward. The final documents are being prepared. We can get the project out to tender at the start of next year and then, hopefully, get into construction in 2028.
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As stated, this nearly 4 km extension to the Luas and linking up with heavy rail will be a game-changer for the Dublin north-west area and for the wider north Dublin area as well in light of the interconnection with other services. We are going to bring it forward. Deputy McAuliffe and I have sat down with senior officials from TII and have worked through the details of the plan. The TII did super work in being able to resolve the judicial review. That puts us in a position whereby we can invest and get this project started. We want to get it out to tender. There is already significant interest in it. We will have a competitive tendering process, which we obviously have to go through. We will get that done. Subject to everything going well, we will be getting this into construction in 2028. I do not see any reason why we cannot do so. This extension of the Luas and linking it up with other services at Broombridge will be the most tangible sign of real change regarding our rail network in the Dublin area. I am very excited about it. I am looking forward to work commencing. I keep Deputy McAuliffe fully abreast of developments. The benefits for his constituents and for people in the wider area of this Luas extension are difficult to actually quantify. In the context of housing, business, quality of life and climate, it ticks every box. We are going to move it forward.
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It is good of Deputy McAuliffe to acknowledge former Deputy Noel Rock, who is no longer here. It is very easy to do that, but fair play. It was very magnanimous of Deputy McAuliffe to do so. I have been out there. I know the area very well. TII has done superb work on this. Its public consultation and outreach into communities in respect of the project is an exemplar. We are now at the delivery phase, not just across this project but also in the context of our wider rail network. We will start Luas Finglas and we will have our new trains on the northern line, which is the start of DART+ Coastal North. I have already mentioned DART+ West and tried to answer Deputy Ó Broin about DART+ South West, but he just continued to shout me down, which is fine. There are some who do not want to see this progress happening, but this project is happening. I am looking forward to visiting the area again with Deputy McAuliffe in order to walk the new route. We will keep him fully abreast of the situation.
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