2026-01-20

I thank the Minister of State for being here. I appreciate him and the other Ministers of State present giving of their time this evening. The Minister of State will be well aware of the outrage that met the Minister's announcement regarding the decision to defer the delivery of DART+ South West, a project costed at €1 billion that was set to increase the capacity on rail services running from Hazelhatch and Celbridge, County Kildare, to Dublin from 5,000 to 20,000 passengers at peak times. Essentially, this service was going to change people's lives and the way in which they could interact with their communities and their capital city. Before Christmas, the Minister performed a bit of a U-turn on a project that has been planned for many years. We have not had a justifiable reason as to why that was the case. The latest press release from the Minister suggests that it is something that he would like to do and would like to see come to fruition and that he is not ruling out making a U-turn on his U-turn. I raised this matter in order to try to get on the record what exactly the Government's plan is with regard to DART+ South West. The aspect that frustrates a lot of people in Kildare, where we have seen such significant population growth over the years, is that many Ministers have been at pains to tell us that individuals and community groups taking judicial reviews are the reason why the provision of significant infrastructure projects in this country has been delayed. The project in question has full planning permission. It has gone through the railway order process. Local authorities both in Dublin and Kildare have done their bit to prepare and get this project incorporated into county development plans. A great deal of planning has gone outside of this House to prepare for this project. Yet, the Minister has essentially stated that he would like to see it happen. Representatives from the National Transport Authority, NTA, were before the public accounts committee last Thursday. I asked them about the DART+ West project and when they expect to see passengers being able to use DART+ West. They said it would probably be 2030 before that happens. If we extrapolate that timeline in respect of the DART+ South West project, it is obvious that if construction does not start until 2030, we will not see anybody availing of the service until, potentially ,2034, 2035 or beyond. Everything is in place bar the funding. Do we have a concrete timeline for when the DART+ South West project will progress? Can the Minister, the Minister of State and the Department make it clear that there will be no more changes of heart when it comes to this important project? Planning permissions have been granted on the basis that this infrastructure will be in place. As the Minister of State knows very well, the people of Kildare and Dublin need this service. This is not an optional extra. We need this service to come into place in tandem with DART+ West. I would appreciate an update from the Minister of State. We will see where we can go from there.

I thank the Deputy for raising this very important matter. He has been consistent in raising matters relating to public transport in the House. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Transport. The DART+ programme comprises five different rail projects in and around the greater Dublin area, extending the existing DART network to Maynooth, M3 Parkway, Hazelhatch and Celbridge and Drogheda and improving current DART services from Dublin city to Greystones. The programme will triple the length of the electrified rail network in the Dublin area and double city centre peak hour capacity from 26,000 passengers per direction to 52,000 in future. DART+ South West will extend DART train services from Dublin city centre to Hazelhatch and Celbridge station, including four-tracking from Park West to Heuston station. An Coimisiún Pleanála approved a railway order for DART+ South West in November 2024. In addition, procurement for DART+ South West and DART+ West is progressing, with pre-qualification questionnaire notices for design and build works advertised in May last year. The Government is committed to the delivery of major public transport projects. That commitment is evidenced by last year’s review of the national development plan, in which a total of €24.3 billion in Exchequer funding was allocated in respect of transport projects for the period 2026 to 2030. Of this total allocation, Exchequer funding of circa €10 billion for public transport infrastructure is earmarked for this period in addition to the €2 billion allocated for MetroLink. This funding is allocated broadly in line with the Department’s national investment framework for transport in Ireland, NIFTI, intervention hierarchy of maintain, optimise, improve and new. The approach involves prioritising investment in the protection and renewal of existing assets before investing in new ones on economic and environmental grounds. This represents an unprecedented level of investment in public transport infrastructure over the coming five years, which has more than doubled in comparison with the last five-year period under the previous NDP. However, it is a simple fact that within any funding envelope - no matter how big - there are decisions required in relation to sequencing and prioritisation. Those are the decisions that come with the responsibilities of being in government. The funding under the NDP transport sectoral investment plan will see significant advancements made in a number of public transport projects by 2030, including advancing various elements of the DART+ programme. The compulsory purchase obligation processes for DART+ South West will commence this year and aspects of the procurement frameworks put in place for DART+ West will be available for use on DART+ South West when its main construction works commence. It is important to state that, following on from the investment in the new DART+ fleet, DART+ West was also recognised as the critical step in the DART+ programme that will help enable DART+ South West and, indeed, the other infrastructure projects of the programme, to develop for a number of reasons. The new depot in the Maynooth and Kilcock area, to be delivered as part of DART+ West, will provide essential stabling and maintenance facilities for the expanded fleet for the entire DART+ programme, which is a prerequisite for supporting service patterns across the entire DART+ network, including DART+ South West. DART+ West will deliver the critical electrification of the city centre rail network and the necessary city centre capacity upgrades. This is a prerequisite for future trains coming from DART+ South West to enter the city centre network at Glasnevin junction from the Phoenix Park tunnel. Upgrades delivered under DART+ West, such as re-signalling and electrification, are also vital for accommodating the increased frequency envisaged for DART+ South West. The new station at Spencer Dock, to be introduced as part of DART+ West, is a key node for future service integration, supporting the operational flexibility required for DART+ South West train services, helping to address capacity issues around Connolly Station. In accordance with the Government commitment on the delivery of major capital projects, the Department will also explore any EU funding which may become available to accelerate public transport projects. Moreover, the NDP will be reviewed around 2028 and updated at that point, and this will also provide an opportunity to examine the potential to provide additional funding to accelerate the delivery of projects such as DART+ South West.

I was preparing myself to get back up to criticise the Minister of State for giving me a blank reply but, in fact, what he has done is given me a very detailed reply and I thank him for it. There is a lot that I can take back with me to constituents and to my colleagues, Councillors Peter Melrose and Nuala Killeen, who have been working tirelessly on this for many years. I had not seen confirmation in writing before tonight that the depot for DART+ West will be in the Maynooth-Kilcock area. When we spoke with the NTA last week it did not confirm this. I really welcome that it has been confirmed this evening. What the NTA did speak about was a public consultation that might be aligned with this. Does the Minister of State know anything specifically about this, whereby communities in the area will be asked their opinion on this? I know Irish Rail has done considerable work in going back to the drawing board with regard to the depot. I want to press on the Minister of State the importance of this next matter and I cannot underplay its significance. If a depot comes to Kilcock, can we make sure that a stop in Kilcock is part of it? For years people in Kilcock have been told they will have the depot, the noise and the lights, and they will nearly be able to smell it, but they will not be able to use it. It would make absolute sense, if we are bringing the depot as far as Kilcock, which I welcome and I support the Minister of State and the Government wholeheartedly if we can deliver this, that we can include a station with the depot. It would make massive sense from a future planning perspective. I thank the Minister of State for being here and for giving me such a detailed reply. The only outlying piece is whether there is a timeframe for the public consultation in Kilcock.

I went to college in Maynooth, and Deputy Joe Neville has been on to me, as has Deputy Farrelly in the past, to be fair. Again, on behalf of the Minister for Transport, I thank Deputy Farrelly for raising this matter. This is a very important issue and I am familiar with the Kilcock issue, which Deputy Farrelly has spoken about. I do not have a definitive answer on the public consultation but I will ask officials to liaise with Deputy Farrelly on it. I will recap the developments in the DART+ South West project. It will provide an extension of DART train services from the city centre to Hazelhatch and Celbridge. Procurement for DART+ South West and DART+ West is progressing, with pre-qualification questionnaires for design and build advertised in May 2025. In addition, the railway order for DART+ South West was approved by An Coimisiún Pleanála in November 2024. As I stated earlier, the national development plan sectoral investment plan for transport, which was published by the Department of Transport in November last year, will enable advancement of various elements of the DART+ programme in the coming years, including DART+ West. This funding will also allow for compulsory purchase orders to progress for DART+ South West this year, and will provide for procurement progress for the project, with some of the framework contracts being established in common for DART+ West and DART+ South West. As the roll-out of the new DART+ fleet, which has started to undergo safety testing, progresses from 2027 onwards, it will allow the cascade of existing trains to serve new areas of the Irish rail network. The redeployment of this fleet is a matter for Iarnród Éireann and the National Transport Authority to decide on, based on a range of factors. There is potential for some of this fleet to be deployed on the DART+ South West line to add capacity in advance of infrastructure upgrades. As I said earlier, the Department will also explore any EU funding which may become available to accelerate public transport projects. The public transport offering has transformed the whole Maynooth area since my days in college. Moreover, the NDP will be reviewed around 2028 and updated at that point, and this will also provide an opportunity to examine the potential to provide additional funding. I take Deputy Farrelly's point on the acceleration of projects and he made a good point on the population growth. To be fair to the Government, there has been significant investment in infrastructure and it reflects well on us. I will take back the point on notification of the public consultation. The acceleration of projects with regard to DART+ South West is a good news story and I thank Deputy Farrelly for raising the matter tonight. I thank the staff for being here this late, and I thank An Cathaoirleach Gníomhach for chairing the House at this late hour of the night. I wish the staff a safe journey home and if they are on public transport, all the better again.

I thank Deputy Farrelly and the Minister of State.