Decades of underinvestment in our transport infrastructure have resulted in this State being a laggard when it comes to public transport. Too many people face delays and a lack of services, especially when it comes to bus and rail. Many areas across the State, particularly in the west of Ireland, simply do not have the infrastructure in place to deal with the level of demand that exists. This Bill will expand the remit of the NTA to allow it to construct public transport infrastructure across the entire State. In order to do this, the NTA must be properly resourced. On the issue of funding for the NTA, I have raised with the Minister on a number of times the current public transport issues that people in Athenry are facing. Today, I am presenting the Minister with a petition signed by 1,665 people in Athenry to save the 6.50 a.m. train and to fund a bus service for Athenry. People in Athenry are sick and tired of their transport needs being neglected. We have trains that are literally overflowing. It has been two years since we had the cancellation of the bus service. Despite repeated promises, we still do not have a bus service and, to make matters worse, we are now being told we are going to lose the 6.50 a.m. at the end of July due to a lack of funding. It is not good enough. It is not going to be accepted by people in Athenry. The NTA has requested the funding for these services from the Department, and the Minister must provide it. He needs to get the bus service up and running, save the 6.50 a.m. train and listen to the people of Athenry who signed this petition. They want to be able to rely on public transport but they cannot do so at the moment because of this lack of action. I will be sending that petition to the Minister today. The Bill before us has the aim of expanding the NTA’s remit in providing public transport infrastructure beyond the greater Dublin area. I refer to the Gluas project in this regard. We have been waiting years for an emerging route for this much-needed project. This is critical to address the traffic issues for people commuting in and out of Galway city. At the same time, we see a lack of basic infrastructure, such as shelters at bus stops. If the Government wants to encourage people to use public transport, it must ensure that it gets these basic things right. While this Bill is welcome, the NTA must be adequately resourced and funded in order to allow it to meet its expanded role. There is a significant amount of work that must be done to address the decades of underinvestment in Ireland’s transport infrastructure. I call on the Minister to step up to the plate and address the deficits that exist.

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