I thank the Deputy for his question. There is no doubt that the very strong passenger growth in recent years poses some challenges at certain times for the public transport network, including the InterCity rail network. Like the Deputy, I am eager to see improved rail services rolled out across the network. We know that when people are offered reliable and frequent services, they are more likely to choose public transport. Higher frequency also helps ease capacity issues. The Government is, therefore, supporting this shift through significant infrastructure investment, which will be critical. This includes funding for key initiatives such as the DART+ programme; the new DART+ fleet, which is being tested in Inchicore and which I expect to be tested shortly on the northern line, in particular; the proposed replacement of the Enterprise fleet; and the introduction of 41 new InterCity railcars. Iarnród Éireann has experienced strong post-Covid growth in passenger demand, matched by record investment to expand services. Capacity and service delivery continue to be considered in every decision we make. To meet demand, Iarnród Éireann is deploying all available fleet during peak times. In 2024, 41 additional InterCity railcar carriages were introduced, boosting capacity on key routes, in particular, Sligo, Galway, Westport and Belfast. Its DART+ fleet investment will deliver 185 electric and battery-electric carriages in the coming years, with more planned. We have taken possession of the first order of them. The first units have begun arriving and will enter service in 2026, following testing and approval.
Sentiment score: 0.30
The new InterCity railcars are being tested right now. We have received them. As the Deputy correctly said, Iarnród Éireann mentioned to him that once they come into use in 2026 additional railcars will then be provided to other routes. Two carriages on a train at peak times is, I would suggest, insufficient. I am sure the Deputy has raised that specific issue about that train service with Iarnród Éireann. On the basis of the Deputy's intervention here, we will too. The Minister of State, Deputy Canney, has already referenced in response to previous questions the very significant work that is happening around Oranmore station redevelopment and track works. There will be a new platform and a passing loop at Oranmore station. That was granted planning permission last February and construction is expected to start by the end of this year. That will greatly increase capacity and frequency, in particular, on that service. It needs to happen. We are being told it will commence by the end of this year.
Sentiment score: 0.10
The Minister of State, Deputy Canney, has direct responsibility for the all-island rail review. I expect that matters such as the double-tracking the Deputy has mentioned will be considered as part of that. On timetables, punctuality and reliability, the management of timetables is a matter for Iarnród Éireann. Where specific matters are raised in questions here, we note them and feed them back to the company. I am sure the Deputy does likewise for his constituents. The reliability of the train service is generally very good across all of our routes. Where issues arise, they certainly need to be addressed. The previous Government embarked on the most significant investment in our rail network across the country we have seen in decades and this Government will accelerate it. It takes time to build that infrastructure. I have already given the examples of Kent Station, Ceannt Station and Waterford. I have visited the rail line at Shannon Foynes Port, which is under construction and being tested right now. Good things are happening. The NDP gives us the opportunity to seek additional capital to do more things.
Sentiment score: 0.18
As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding for public transport. The NTA has responsibility for the development of public transport infrastructure including ticketing and technology projects. The next generation ticketing project is very significant and will provide a transformative upgrade to the ticketing system for public transport passengers in Ireland. The project will facilitate a variety of payment methods on public transport services. This will involve a new-generation account-based ticketing scheme that incorporates both mobile and card-based payments for passengers. As the Deputy outlined in his original contribution, a competitive procurement process was concluded in April of last year. The NTA awarded an overall framework contract for the design, supply, installation and operation of the new multi-modal ticketing system to a Spanish information technology company, Indra Sistemas, which has designed, installed and operated similar systems internationally. Implementing such a major and complex system across multiple transport operators requires pretty significant co-ordination. The project involves ensuring that all payment processes adhere to the highest security standards to protect customers. Comprehensive cybersecurity verification and testing will be conducted to safeguard the system against potential threats and to ensure that customers are charged correctly. In addition, the operation of the new ticketing system will involve the introduction of new financial management processes and customer support systems and the establishment of maintenance, logistics and operational teams. All of this has to occur while the current ticketing systems continue to operate. I put all of this on the record because it shows the breadth of work that needs to be done to bring this into operation. The NTA is making great efforts to ensure this transformation and beneficial project for public transport passengers is delivered as effectively as possible. I have asked for target dates for delivery and we are probably looking at the year after next, 2027. That comes with a health warning because the ICT system must be tested to ensure it is robust. This will be transformational for public transport passengers across all transport modes.
Sentiment score: 0.27
I am also very anxious to see this. The Deputy is right; the Leap card is great. That is fine but, if you go to London or other parts of Britain, you can tap on or off with a debit card or credit card, which works fantastically well. When we bring in our system, it will be ahead of those in Britain and most of Europe because it will also involve account-based ticketing. I have asked for a timeline and I have engaged with the NTA. To inform the Deputy and the House, while I do not have an exact timeframe, we are aiming for 2027. In advance of questions this morning, I again met officials last night to try to get a more specific timeline for delivery because this will make a very significant difference to the passenger experience for residents and visitors alike. This is a big project. As the Deputy has said, it is €100 million of investment. It needs to be done correctly. The Deputy will understand that there are many checks that need to be carried out in advance of the roll-out of the ICT system. Work is well under way. I will come back to the Deputy with a firmer timeline but, to give him an indication, we are looking at 2027.
Sentiment score: 0.15
I know the Deputy will be raising this issue regularly and he is right to do so because it will make a very significant difference. We will certainly be putting as much positive pressure as possible on to ensure delivery. I will be watching the timeline very closely and, as it becomes firmer, I will keep the Deputy informed. It will not be necessary for someone who is visiting to have an account to tap on and tap off. Account-based ticketing will be very useful for residents. It will allow them to see what is being spent. If you go to England and are tapping on and off with your debit card, you do not see that automatically. This is for residents who regularly use rail, bus or Luas services. It will be across all modes of transport. It is complex. I am not using that word to excuse any delays. I do not envisage delays. As I have told the House, the best date I have for delivery is 2027. We will certainly be keeping a very close eye on this because it will make a very significant difference to customers right across the country.
Sentiment score: 0.21
I propose to take Questions Nos. 13, 51, 90 and 265 together. A lot of Deputies have raised this matter. There are questions here from Deputies McGettigan, Cathal Crowe, Quinlivan and Pa Daly. It speaks to the importance, which all of us understand, of our aviation sector. Ireland has done extremely well from a connectivity perspective. For example, Dublin Airport is the fifth best connected airport in Europe. Dublin is being used as a hub and people can connect now through the UAE and via all the additional routes into the USA. That is a positive thing. I referenced earlier the additional capacity we have in our regional airports. Thankfully we have seen quite significant growth in Shannon and Cork airports. A large investment of €200 million in Cork Airport was announced last week by the Taoiseach. The national aviation policy that we operate under is the 2015 policy. After ten years it is appropriate that this is reviewed in detail and that we bring forward not just an update but a new aviation policy that would see us good for the next ten years. This is the cycle we are looking at. We have started the work on that. In a response earlier, I mentioned to Deputy O'Hara that we will do a review and an updating of the regional airports' programme for 2026 to 2030. This will encompass aspects particularly in relation to funding and other things we may be able to do there. I am anxious that we do that but I do not want to rush it either. We will need people's input here and we will need the Oireachtas joint committee to input into it also, so I cannot give the Deputies an exact timeline. I am not being evasive; it is just that the work has started. A draft will be prepared and we will publish a draft. I expect there will be input from the Oireachtas joint committee. Stakeholders will want to make an input into that too. What we receive back will also need to be assessed in advance of us actually coming forward with the completed aviation policy. I expect that is probably going to take the rest of this year and into early next year. I would expect that but I do not have a firm timeline on it. We are still growing our airports and the aviation sector. There are new technologies and new businesses coming in as well. Ireland is highly regarded as a world leader in aviation. That still happens, but this is a process that we need to undertake. I have given a commitment to the House and to the Deputy today. That is something that has commenced and we will be seeking the input of all Deputies to that policy.
Sentiment score: 0.13
I thank the Deputy and will let him take a breath.
Sentiment score: 0.36
It would have. He could have used the bike. I have answered the Deputy's colleagues earlier. We are updating the national aviation policy and we will be bringing forward a new one, on which I will need all inputs. The Deputy and his colleagues have regularly championed Shannon Airport. Shannon is a fine airport. I raise the growth in the airport since 2019. In 2019, 1.72 million passengers travelled to Shannon Airport. In 2024, the figure was 2.1 million. We are projecting a further increase this year. The Government does not, and I say this respectfully, direct airlines as to where they go; the airlines choose where they go. I met with the Shannon Airport Group, which has a very good management team. It is very anxious to secure new business. The airports have to fight for that business too. We can support the airport through our investment in it. We will be bringing forward a regional airport programme for 2026-2030. The Shannon Airport Group in particular has put forward some specific asks in that regard, which we will consider. I expect the work on the regional airport programme to be concluded this year. As I mentioned to Deputy McGettigan, we expect the national aviation policy to be published by quarter 1 of 2026. I do not have a firm timeline on it. It is not something that should be rushed, because this aviation policy will be for the next ten years and we need stakeholder engagement on it. It is an opportunity for us as well to look to see how things can be rebalanced. It is not Dublin instead of everything else. Dublin is the 5th best connected airport in Europe. People generally treat it as a destination as well. Shannon has the capacity to grow and accommodate 10 million passengers. Cork can grow further as well, and we want to see that happen. We want to support the airports in that regard. The Government is committed as well, in the programme for Government, to the lifting of the passenger cap at Dublin Airport. There has been a stay on that, as the Deputy knows, with the ECJ case. That stay is in place for the remainder of this year, and probably the most of next year. We are working on legislative options in that regard. I use this opportunity in the House to continue to encourage DAA to engage with the planning authorities right now, and to engage in a positive way. Aviation is a major growth sector for us. It is critically important, as an island, that we improve our connectivity in what is an uncertain world. I will be looking forward to all interested parties and Deputies feeding into the national aviation policy and the new plan, which we will bring forward.
Sentiment score: 0.23
I thank Deputy Conway-Walsh for her contribution. In response to Deputy Crowe, I want to see all our airports grow. I would like to see more flights out of Shannon, Cork and Ireland West. We see growth in all those airports as well as further projected growth this year in Cork, Shannon, Ireland West and Kerry and small growth in Donegal. For the information of the House, I am working on the preparatory work on the PSO for the Dublin-Derry route, which was a commitment in the programme for Government and one which got excellent support from the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste, particularly through the shared island fund. We are working on that. A Dublin-Derry air route in 2026 is a commitment we would like to see delivered. On an all-island and an all-Ireland basis, it is critical. I have engaged with colleagues in the North on that. I have met with Shannon Group. I have met with DAA, not just on Dublin but on Cork as well. I will meet representatives of the other regional airports shortly to go through their plans. In response to Deputy Conway-Walsh, I am familiar with the potential investment there and we want to support that as best we can. Looking at the industrial zones or commercial zones around our airports, the on-campus jobs are critical but there are also the indirect jobs. Take Dublin Airport as an example. About 22,000 people are employed directly on campus, with about 135,000 indirect jobs. As airports grow, for every additional 1 million passengers there are about another thousand direct jobs. That is how important aviation is. I will work with colleagues on this. The cross-party group on Shannon is earnest and very supportive of further growth in Shannon. I will support it in what it needs to do. As Deputy Quinlivan knows and as has been rightly said here, the Government cannot direct airlines where to fly, but I have met with our airlines. I have met with Aer Lingus and Ryanair. I have met with Airlines for America. We have discussions with them as regards Ireland as a whole. We see that Aer Lingus's and Ryanair's commitment to Ireland is very firm. Where it makes sense to add routes, they will, and I encourage them to do that. As regards regional airports, that piece of work should be finished by the end of this year. As regards national aviation policy, I take the point made and I am taking a ten-year view. That can be reviewed along the way. It is not set in stone. It should be a living document; a living plan. We have significant investment in our airports. I referred to the €200 million investment in Cork Airport, which is really significant. It will transform that airport. The three Ministers here - myself and the Ministers of State, Deputies Canney and Buttimer - are very supportive of our aviation sector and fully recognise the importance of the sector to our economy and our society.
Sentiment score: 0.21