One of the most consistent issues raised with me during the general election campaign was the lack of delivery on the long-promised Lucan Luas line. At doorway after doorway, people spoke with frustration, not just about the delay but with a sense that our area, Lucan, is often overlooked when it comes to major transport infrastructure. This is a wider issue across the constituency of Dublin Mid-West. What strikes me is that I can count on one hand the number of times the Lucan Luas line was raised in this Chamber during the lifetime of the previous Dáil. Despite it being contained in transport strategies and policy documents for many years, there has not been any level of political urgency about it. I would like to think that will change now. As a Government TD, I am determined to bring a renewed focus to this project, not just because it is politically convenient but because it is strategically necessary for people in Dublin mid-west. Communities such as Lucan are expected to shoulder significant housing expansion but we cannot keep on asking people to wait for transport infrastructure that is always promised but never prioritised or delivered. Last week, the national planning framework was discussed and adopted by the House. At its core is an objective to prioritise transport-orientated development and strengthen commitments to align transport investment with housing and population growth in metropolitan areas. It follows then that in considering transport options for a growing suburb such as Lucan, it is essential we make the correct long-term infrastructure decisions. Time and again, international and domestic research points to light rail as the most sustainable and scalable solution for suburbs of Lucan's profile. It combines the capacity needed for our growing population with the environmental performance and accessibility our communities deserve. A Luas to Lucan will ensure we deliver compact connected communities and not isolated housing estates. Lucan’s population, transport demand and existing congestion make it an ideal challenge for light rail. Rapidly growing areas like Adamstown and Clonburris make the case undeniable. Unlike lower capacity solutions such as bus rapid transit, light rail offers permanence, capacity and faster journey times. It can be delivered quicker than metro. In communities like Dundrum, Inchicore and Sandyford, Luas has been highly successful in encouraging people to switch from their cars. Put simply, light rail delivers a level of service that transforms how people travel and how they plan their lives around transport. Luas has been one of the most cost-effective infrastructure projects in Irish history. It removes the need for millions of car journeys and has the lowest CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre among motorised modes of transport. It is time-effective. People vote with their feet, as evidenced by the sustained demand on Luas lines every day of the week. It is time for us in this House and agencies like the NTA to get real about transport policy. There is a clear need to refocus and review how we approach transport projects, not just through the lens of aspiration but through the lens of delivery. It is not enough to plan; we must build and deliver, and I know the new Minister for Transport, Deputy O’Brien, understands this. We must prioritise the route finalisation for the Lucan Luas line as soon as possible and drive this project to the planning stages as soon as we can. The adoption of the revised national planning framework should give us the impetus to do this. We must push past inertia, especially bureaucratic and legal hurdles, ensuring that areas like Lucan, with growing populations and public transport deficits, are not permanently left behind. Let me be clear. This is not about pitting one project against another, but the case for the Lucan Luas line is as strong as any other light rail extension in the country. The demand, population and need are there. That is why I continue to argue that a Luas line for Lucan is not a luxury but a necessity.

Sentiment score: 0.17

I thank the Minister of State for that response. I note that Lucan is the largest town in Dublin without access to light rail, so when I talk about this extension, it is not just about transport but about fairness and inclusion. The Minister of State referenced the public transport connectedness that exists across parts of the infrastructure currently. There is a very large public transport deficit in Lucan as well. BusConnects has taken some steps towards the catch-up that we need to play, but there is a huge opportunity for us here to get this right with the extension of the Luas infrastructure to Lucan. I am thinking especially of the working mother in Lucan who spends over an hour commuting by bus into the city centre. Her journey time could be halved, enabling her to have a better quality of life. I think of the older person living in the area who finds current transport options very limiting in terms of accessibility and cost. A Luas stop would provide that person with greater independence and access to essential services. I welcome the fact that the Luas Lucan project has been highlighted for possible accelerated delivery under the NDP. I will be working with the Minister for Transport to advocate for that. It is a no-brainer to ensure that we accelerate the delivery of this project. I am of the view that we complete the process of designing the emerging preferred route as fast as we can. As soon as the detailed multicriteria analysis that the Minister of State referenced is done, we should move immediately to the emerging preferred route. We need to get that out into the ether as soon as we can. We need to show an urgency with this in respect of the length of time we are going to spend on the public consultation. People should have their say but they should also see there is an urgency and an impetus behind this, especially in light of our discussion in this House last week on the need for the additional zoning of land, in Dublin in particular. This is the sort of project that enables that additional zoning. I will keep fighting for this during my time in this House. I hope we can push it to planning as soon as we can.

Sentiment score: 0.15