101. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Transport the progress made on the roll-out of light rail for Galway, following the publication of the feasibility study on 30 October 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9456/25]

Sentiment score: 0.15

Déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Aire agus leis an Aire Stáit nua. Guím gach rath orthu ina róil nua. Baineann mo cheist go sonrach le córas iarnród éadrom do chathair na Gaillimhe. Cén dul chun cinn atá déanta? I congratulate the new Minister and Minister of State and I wish them the best of luck. My specific question is about what progress has been made relating to the roll-out of light rail in Galway, as one essential part of the solution to traffic congestion in Galway.

Sentiment score: 0.26

I think the Minister of State would agree that transport could not get any worse in Galway with traffic congestion. I welcome that there is going to be a plan, but I will tell the Minister of State about my experience. The transport plan that became law in 2016 was already dated and outmoded in light of the increase in the population, the promised increase in the population and our obligations under climate change legislation. With a small team on the streets of Galway - we did not take one signature online - I gathered 24,000 signatures in 2018 from people crying out for a feasibility study. That was eventually done by the previous Government. I welcomed that. It was finally published and it indicated that this was eminently doable. While it will not be reached tonight, I have a question further down the question paper on park-and-ride facilities. The sustainable solutions in Galway have never been rolled out. A park-and-ride facility still remains up in the clouds even though it was enshrined in the city development plan on 1 February 20 years ago. Will the Minister of State give me some dates in respect of the promised metropolitan area plan?

Sentiment score: 0.20

The Minister of State knows my views on the N6 project. There are sustainable solutions to the traffic congestion in Galway. We are under an obligation. The Minister of State may have listened to the radio interview this morning regarding the billions we are going to pay in fines for failure to comply with our obligations. Galway is one of five cities that is destined to grow. We have no park-and-ride facilities even though it was put into the city development plan and became law on 1 February 2005. I have to keep repeating this because the people of Galway, through the councillors, put forward suggestions but they were never implemented. You have to ask yourself why this park-and-ride proposal was never implemented over those 20 years. I know exactly how long the light rail feasibility study took. I thank the Minister of State for mentioning it and looking on it as a possibility. It has taken a very long time. The Minister of State is behind the western rail corridor and I fully support him on that. These are all sustainable solutions that will allow us to comply with our climate obligations.

Sentiment score: 0.04