101. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Transport for an update on the DART+ South West project; the progress to date; the way in which the project may be expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31714/26]

Sentiment score: 0.15

I ask the Minister for Transport to give an update on the DART+ South West project, the progress that has been made to date, the way in which this crucial infrastructure project for my constituents in Dublin Mid-West may be expedited, and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Sentiment score: 0.44

I welcome that response. The Minister's successor as the Minister for housing, Deputy Browne, was in the constituency this week in Clonburris and Adamstown. He saw the scale of housing being delivered and the importance of the infrastructure that enables that housing. One such project is DART+ South West. Coming from a commuter constituency the Minister will know full well that commuters in my constituency who use stations like Kishoge, Adamstown, Clondalkin Fonthill, and Park West are the people who want to use public transport in the morning. Carriages are full so we know the demand is there. DART+ South West is something we must prioritise. I welcome the movements made on the CPO work being rolled out. I welcome the work being done to ensure that procurement will not be delayed if and when funding becomes available for this. I also welcome the Minister's commitment to bring this forward as far as we can to ensure that those commuters who do not want to sit in traffic on the roads around Lucan and Clondalkin are served well by a train station. I will work with the Minister to continue doing that but I will also fight the corner for these commuters who need a good, reliable and, crucially, a frequent train service to enable their commutes and to get the congestion off our roads.

Sentiment score: 0.33

I thank the Minister. For the record of the House, I have seen the work being done to advance the CPOs and the enabling works. The Minister has outlined the important step, which is crucial, that procurement for DART+ South West and DART+ West is done in tandem. We cannot afford to lose any time in this if and when funding becomes available. I want to thank the Minister for his personal commitment to try to bring the funding forward for this. I will work on this directly with the Minister. I will take a moment to point out the additional benefits of the DART+ South West project not just for my constituency in Dublin Mid-West where will it be a crucial enabler, but also for intercity trains coming from the western part of the country. The four track system that this will enable on the line will reduce the bottlenecks at Athlone and Heuston. They are all crucial pieces of infrastructure and investment that we need to do. The key point for me remains that we need to get this over the line as quickly as we can for the commuters who want to get out of the traffic that is already congested all around the roads in my constituency, and for those people who use stations like Kishoge, Adamstown, Park West and Clondalkin Fonthill, and all the commuters in Lucan and Clondalkin who are relying on this piece of kit who want to use public transport. Let us respond to that demand and put a strong service in place to deliver it.

Sentiment score: 0.24