2026-07-01

In recent years, there have been some improvements on the bus transport in Limerick city, with routes such as the 310 from Annacotty to the city centre being rolled out. These new routes and improvements have to be welcomed, but significant gaps remain in the provision of bus services across Limerick city. Condell Road in Limerick is an example in this regard. Hundreds of new homes, which were built in recent years and in which families and workers live, are located on this road and in the surrounding area. The road itself is well laid out and has a significant amount of bus infrastructure, including a bus lane, yet there is no local bus services in the area. I do not understand how such a densely populated area with the necessary infrastructure in place does not have an active bus service. The Kilteragh estate in Dooradoyle, where hundreds of homes are also located, has no bus service. The nearest bus stop is located outside the Crescent Shopping Centre, which is 2 km away. Another area that is lacking a bus service is that which lies between St. Mary's Park, the most deprived area in the whole city, and the Garryowen area. While the area has a bus route, the service ends at 6 p.m. The latter is due to a legacy issue dating back a number of years and that needs to be resolved in order that we can see the return of a proper bus service. The area in question has the lowest level of car ownership in the city, with an estimated 57% of householders not having access to cars. In addition, the population in the area is ageing. Having their bus service end before nightfall is absurd in this day and age. We have faced major challenges in making the Limerick city centre a liveable and enjoyable place. Efforts have been made to improve the city and make it a more attractive place to visit and enjoy. We have had some great success with the promotion of King John's Castle as a music venue, Thomond Park and the annual Great Limerick Run. In light of the need to revitalise the city, it seems extraordinary that the residents of St. Mary's Park and Garryowen cannot avail of public transport to visit the city centre. We are also trying to promote a more sustainable future. The use of public transport is crucial in this regard. Not everyone has the luxury of their own vehicle, yet there are populated areas of Limerick that do not have access to a properly functioning transport system. To date, BusConnects has achieved some progress, particularly in the context of services on new roads, and there has been an increase in passenger numbers. In Limerick, however, the BusConnects project has been marked by shortcomings in planning, funding and delivery. It is nearly a decade since the announcement of BusConnects and the projected completion date of 2027, but the timelines across the area to which I refer have been pushed out to 2030. The project has been plagued by delays and postponements. In Limerick, frankly, it has not been delivered. The costs relating to the project have spiralled, with an estimated increase in cost from the initial €1 billion to between €2.6 billion and €3.4 billion. We have already seen a four-year delay in the delivery of BusConnects, which has impacted the economic development and liveability of Limerick. When raising the issue of University Hospital Limerick on many occasions, I have spoken about the growing population of Limerick and the wider mid-west region. The growth in population also makes the delivery of a functional, affordable and viable public transport system critical. Limerick BusConnects has the potential to transform connectivity within the city and between its suburbs, thereby improving access to employment and education, reducing congestion and delivering on commitments relating to sustainability. I see no desire to provide this urgently needed funding for BusConnects in Limerick in order that it can progress. This must change. The Minister of State needs to ensure that the necessary funding is provided promptly. BusConnects across the State is yet another example of the Government's consistent failure to meet target delivery dates. Of course, it has failed, with costs in excess of initial estimates. I urge the Minister of State to get onto the National Transport Authority, NTA, to tell it to end the delays relating to BusConnects in Limerick, to get the project back on track and to get bus services delivered for the people who need them.

I thank Deputy Quinlivan for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Transport. I commend the Deputy on raising the matter because it gives us the opportunity to provide an update on BusConnects in Limerick. I will take this opportunity to highlight some sustainable mobility developments in Limerick more generally. I will bring the comments the Deputy made regarding the gaps and deficits, as he sees them, in the service back to the Minister and the Department. The Limerick-Shannon metropolitan area transport strategy has been developed by the NTA in the context of delivering an accessible, integrated transport network that will enable the sustainable growth of Limerick up to 2040. I take on board some of the comments the Deputy made about Limerick being made liveable in the context of the redesign of the city centre. The latter includes the development of the bus system and the Limerick BusConnects programme. It is fair to say that good progress has been made in delivering the strategy, including BusConnects Limerick. In 2023, the NTA carried out an extensive review of the Limerick bus network. This review was conducted in collaboration with Limerick City and County Council, Clare County Council and Bus Éireann, and was supported by the specialised expertise of the transport system designers Jarrett Walker and Associates. Following public consultation, the NTA published its final new bus network for Limerick in December 2023. The redesign of the bus network is one of the nine key elements of BusConnects Limerick that aims to transform the city’s bus system, making public transport more useful and accessible to more people. I take the Deputy's point that not everybody has a car. People should not have to own cars, particularly in cities like Limerick or Cork. The new bus network will enable more people to avail of public transport resulting in increased access to a greater number of schools and workplaces across Limerick city. Limerick is a college city. That is part of the whole network system. Overall, 41% of residents will live within 400 metres of a high frequency bus route, running every 15 minutes or better. Limerick is the first city in Ireland with a fully electrified bus service, with two phases of charger installation works coming on stream at Roxboro bus depot during 2024 and 61 zero-emission buses in active service today. Regarding future phases of BusConnects Limerick, and the BusConnects programmes across the cities more generally, the NTA will publish its detailed national development plan implementation plan later this year, which will set out the elements of the programme to be progressed in the coming years within available funding to 2030. This follows on from the publication of the national development plan, NDP, sectoral investment plan by the Department of Transport last November, and the publication of the NDP review last July. In addition, the NTA is also preparing a BusConnects programme progress report. This report will set out the latest position across the programme, including developments in relation to network redesign, infrastructure delivery and overall programme progress. In addition to bus-based improvements, the Limerick-Shannon metropolitan area transport strategy also recommends a number of improvements to rail infrastructure, including a new rail station at Moyross. Planning permission for this station was received from Limerick City and County Council in October 2025. The project has progressed into the detailed design phase, with procurement preparations under way. It is currently planned to commence construction later this year. Other rail interventions include increasing the frequency of services on the Ballybrophy line to up to two trains per hour, double-tracking the line from Limerick Junction to Colbert Station and upgrading Colbert Station, a project that was successfully completed in November 2024. People are now benefiting from the improved facilities at the station, including the new car park, ticketing facilities, bus concourse and set-down area. The NDP sectoral plan also contains an allocation funding for the delivery of a number of priority rail projects by 2030. I will pass that back to the Deputy, particularly as has received a copy of the Department's response. I will take the Deputy's points regarding the areas he mentioned back to the Minister. I again thank him for raising this very important matter.

As stated, good progress has been made regarding transport in the mid-west, but we still lag way behind other areas across the State. Last year, I published a report on bus infrastructure in areas on the north side of Limerick City. It clearly showed that working class areas lack basic services and that they had no bus stops, signage or bus shelters. Some work was done on the back of that report. Some of the signage has been put up in the Ballynanty area where I live and where was no bus stop or signage previously. I want to mention the 303 bus route that runs from Ros Mór to Kileely to Moyross. There is a very good and reliable bus service on that route, with buses leaving every 15 minutes. We are doing an active travel scheme in the area at the moment. What they have done with the route, with buses coming onto O’Callaghan Avenue from Kileely and then onto the High Road and Thomond at Johnseys shop, is very dangerous. The road has been narrowed so much that buses have to mount the footpaths on both sides. Somebody is going to get seriously injured unless something is done. The engineers involved in the active travel scheme have told me that they will look at what has happened when the project is finished. We cannot wait for that. The other day, someone walking on the footpath was nearly killed. That because buses cannot turn the corner without mounting the footpath on one side or the other. Buses often bypass this area, which they are supposed to serve, on their way to Moyross. In the absence of BusConnects being done, I call on the Minister of State to ensure that the bus service in the St. Mary’s Park and Garryowen areas is extended and that a proper service is provided. There is a bus service in place, but it comes to an end at 6 p.m. each day. We also need a bus service for the Condell Road. We cannot wait for that. There is potential for the bus that serves Pineview Gardens to also serve Condell Road. When the Knockalisheen Road is opened, this problem could be solved. If we really want people to use bus services - I do and I use buses when I can - they have to be safe, reliable and affordable.

The Deputy is correct. Bus services need to be safe, reliable and accessible. I will take the points he made about the areas he mentioned back to the Minister. The Deputy referred to active travel. There needs to be collaboration between the NTA and the city and county council with regard to the issue to which he referred, particularly in the context of safety. If we are doing active travel, it makes no sense for it not to be safe for road users, pedestrians and, in particular, bus users. I take the Deputy’s point in that regard and commend him on the work he has done. The ambition is that there will be a 70% increase in bus services in Limerick. It is about accessibility. I genuinely believe that those who offer bus services across the country do not discriminate on the basis of eircodes or people's location. It is about ensuring that the have shorter waits and more direct routes and about making the network simpler, with a schedule that meets demand. It is also about the out-of-hours time, as the Deputy said, and about having additional services available, whether that is at weekends or in the evening. As Minister of State with responsibility for rural transport, I have seen the success of rural transport. People will use it if it is provided. Limerick has been leading the way in some areas, including in the context of electric buses. It has 61 zero-emission buses. The NDP to be issued later this year will outline in more detail the aspects of BusConnects Limerick that will be advanced in the period to 2030. I will take the points the Deputy has made back to the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, and the NTA. It was the issue of the 303 route that he highlighted most, and I will bring that back. Limerick has been leading the way in some of the areas including electrified buses. It has 61 zero-emission buses. The detailed NDP later this year will outline in more detail the aspects of BusConnects Limerick that will be advanced in the funding to 2030. I will take the points the Deputy has made today back to the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, and to the NTA. It was the issue of the 303 that he highlighted most and I will bring that back. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle referred to bus services in Kilkenny at Question Time last week. People want to use public transport. We have provided it. The Ministers in the Department work with the NTA. It is about an implementation plan or a roadmap to ensure the new network, in Limerick, in Deputy Quinlivan’s case, is not only being worked on but that new services that can be rolled out incrementally on new routes will be delivered. It is also about staffing and resources being available, particularly drivers. Deputy Ó Laoghaire, who is seated behind Deputy Quinlivan, will know that in Cork we have an issue with staffing in the context of mechanics and drivers. I will certainly bring Deputy Quinlivan’s remarks back to the Minister. I again thank him for raising the matter.