2026-07-09

I raise the issue of improving Local Link services in the east Cork constituency. I highlight specifically the need for better public transport. Thousands of people across the constituency are concerned about this problem. I also acknowledge that over 1,200 signatures were collected by our office through Councillor Patrick Mulcahy specifically about ensuring there are more fit-for-purpose Local Link services. East Cork is an area that suffers from significant traffic congestion. We need substantial upgrades to the N25 road infrastructure. We also seek better community bus services, whether delivered through Bus Éireann, PSO or Expressway services, but Local Link also needs the attention of the Government. I am glad the Minster of State, Deputy Collins, as a rural Deputy is here to answer for the Department. We have proposed a number of routes that will address issues in respect of communities and villages that are yet to be connected to local towns. One issue of concern is that Ballymacoda, Shanagarry, Dungourney, Lisgoold and even Midleton train station, an important end line point for the metropolitan rail service in Cork, have no bus services through Local Link. We want to propose for consideration, through the agencies involved and Government, that funding be put in place to address this critical shortfall. We proposed a number of routes to the NTA and submitted the signatures in respect of this and to Cork County Council's sustainable travel unit. It must be taken into account that we have had huge population growth in the area and there are large villages that do not have bus services in place through Local Link. I acknowledge how successful Local Link has been in the areas it does service. We hear great reports about people delighted they are able to jump on a bus, go into their local town, do their shopping, spend money in their local community, support local businesses and get back home all within a respectable timeframe. Where the investment has been put in, it has worked. It would be so welcome for it to be acknowledged by Government that we need to see the villages I referenced provided with a proper and fit-for-purpose bus service. There are a number of options available. Funding needs to be put in place. I am eager to hear what the Minister of State has to say.

I thank Deputy O’Connor for raising the proposed routes for east Cork. The Minister for Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport but neither he nor his officials are involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services. I am sure the Deputy knows that. The statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally rests with the National Transport Authority. The NTA works with the public transport operators which deliver the services and have responsibility for day-to-day operational matters. That said, I reassure the Deputy the Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens, including people in east Cork, with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options. Public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal. To support this objective, in budget 2026, the Department of Transport secured €940 million in funding for public service obligation and TFI Local Link services. That was an increase from €658 million in 2025. This funding will go towards funding and subsidising existing public transport services while maintaining targeted fares including initiatives such as the free travel for all children up to the age of nine and the young adult card for those aged 19-25 as part of the NTA's national fares strategy. The Department continues to engage with the NTA to ensure existing levels of service, resilience and driver shortages are considered to ensure that planning and strategic decisions are informed by operational and resource considerations. Some €31 million of this funding has been secured for continued investment in our rural transport service provision in 2026, a 38% increase on last year's funding. This funding ensures continued delivery of vital transport services across rural Ireland, building on the significant increase in funding in recent years. In County Cork in particular, funding increased by 47% between 2024 and 2025, boosting passenger numbers by 95%. The hugely successful Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan is a major public transport initiative developed by the NTA to increase connectivity outside our major cities and towns. Some 185 new and enhanced services have been implemented since 2022, linking more than 240 towns and villages to the public transport network. These services now provide new transport connections to 41 higher education facilities and 61 healthcare facilities and offer 71 connections to rail services, allowing passengers to connect to the wider TFI network. Approximately 600,000 people now have access to these new or enhanced bus services. Increased services have led to exponential growth in passenger numbers, with more than 8 million passenger journeys recorded across Connecting Ireland services in 2025. The expansion of rural bus services has brought life back into our villages, towns and urban centres, offering an accessible and sustainable alternative to travel by private car. The NTA has stated that a number of new routes and route enhancements under the Connecting Ireland initiative are yet to be implemented in County Cork. The timetable for implementation of all new and enhanced services is subject to funding, operational readiness and capacity. The public transport sector is currently experiencing a significant workforce shortage, particularly among drivers and mechanics. Therefore, the focus for 2026 is on ensuring services already in place can operate reliably and sustainably. The NTA is managing the 2026 allocation by prioritising delivery of existing programmes. Decisions on future new or enhanced services are a matter for the NTA, which must consider the existing levels of service and funding availability and reach agreement on priorities with the national co-ordination unit. I assure the Deputy that the Government recognises that transport connectivity is hugely important for people who live and work in rural Ireland.

I acknowledge the response. I am coming to this with a solution-focused approach. I have seen in Athlone in particular how successful a local town-based bus service can be in providing state-of-the-art public transport connectivity for people living in the housing estates and satellite urban areas near the town. Midleton is one of the fastest growing towns in Ireland. A new town adjoining Midleton, Water Rock, is currently under construction and is expected to have a population of more than 4,000 in the near future, so we need to see some level of commitment. The information I submitted outlines three different options that would involve a northern and southern orbital route around Midleton and Youghal, which would allow these villages the option of having a proper Local Link service to those local areas. I am also looking at finally having an in-town service for the Midleton-Ballinacurra area, which would give people the option of leaving the car at home. The distances are just that bit too long to walk, if people are doing the shopping and other things as they go about their daily business. This is one way of providing a service that would meet people's personal requirements. We need measures in the short term that deal with the traffic congestion we have been having lately around Midleton and on the N25 corridor until that road infrastructure is upgraded, which will happen in the medium-term future. Will the Minister of State give me an idea of whether the Department will commit to looking at this, following on from my raising it with him and the Department?

Rather than rehashing what I was given as a closing statement, I will convey to the Minister for Transport and his officials the points raised by Deputy O'Connor in relation to his constituents in east Cork and about the new routes which are available. He is well aware of the commitment of the Government and the commitments in the programme for Government to continue to roll out public transport services and to provide as much co-ordination and linkages as possible. That being said, there is a backdrop of challenge in getting bus drivers and mechanics in particular, as I pointed out, and that is dampening the progress we are trying to drive. I will convey the message on the Deputy's behalf and on behalf of his constituents.