Public Transport

128. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Transport whether he is aware that two routes in Cork under BusConnects had to be rerouted because a bus cannot traverse Church Hill despite numerous public consultations and millions spent to date. [66853/26]

Is the Minister of State aware that two services relating to BusConnects had to be rerouted because buses cannot traverse Church Hill in Glanmire despite numerous public consultations and millions of euro being spent on it?

I thank Deputy Gould for raising this very important matter. As he knows - we are both from Cork city - detailed planning for the implementation of the BusConnects Cork network is under way. I am told by the National Transport Authority, NTA, and Cork City Council that does involve redesign, which is continuing to happen, with the new network to be rolled out on a phased basis. It is fair to say that we both wish it could happen faster. However, the major public transport investment will increase bus services across Cork city by over 50%, supporting a growing population and encouraging greater use of sustainable transport, which we both want. I am not fully aware of what is proposed, but I was in Riverstown last weekend and am aware of the proposed routing of services via Church Hill in Glanmire. The Deputy mentioned the public consultation. I am informed by the NTA that following the publication of the redesigned network in 2022, it continued to assess proposed routes to ensure they could be operated effectively. In the case of Church Hill, routes 2a and 14a were subject to further testing and detailed consultation with Cork City Council. While buses were able to travel along the alignment proposed originally, further testing identified significant challenges relating to sightlines, footpath issues and the scale of infrastructure works required to address the junctions of Church Hill and Gleann Caoin. Given the cost of those works, the decision was taken by the NTA to realign routes 2a and 14a. Under the revised arrangement, as the Deputy knows, route 2a will operate in both directions on Barnavara Hill towards Dunkettle and will serve the Ballinglanna development, while route 14a will serve Glanmire Road in both directions. I am told by the NTA that the revised alignment has been successfully tested with appropriate associated infrastructure works being considered along the normal planning routes. I understand the frustrations and challenges experienced by some residents, which I will come back to in a second, in the changes being proposed. I am told by the NTA that the revised alignment is intended to ensure a safe and effective delivery of the new network to enable the expansion of the services through Cork. However, I am prepared to listen to what the Deputy has to say in terms of the residents, whom he is going to talk about in a second.

Some €85 million has been spent on BusConnects in Cork since 2021. That includes €11 million this year alone. What have we got for it? People in Cork and people I represent will tell the Minister of State we have got nothing for it. Then, after all the consultation - five rounds of consultation - we were told on 27 August that the bus will not be able to serve Church Hill in Glanmire and that there would be no bus stop for people living in Crawford Woods. People are buying houses, moving into communities and renting while expecting to have a proper bus service. Glanmire is one of the fastest growing areas in the State, with hundreds if not thousands of new houses there. Then we do not have a bus service that delivers. These people expect a bus service. Glanmire was actually in Cork city when the boundary was increased a couple of years ago and now we have a situation where some residents have not got a bus service. Many people in Glanmire are very upset by the standard of bus service they have, with buses not turning up, ghost buses and the app not working. People deserve to have a public transport system they can depend on.

I thoroughly support Deputy Gould. I share the same ambition he has and it frustrates all of us that we have issues with the bus service, not just in Cork but across the country. To be fair to the NTA - and I am critical of the NTA, as he knows - we have seen investment by Government through the NTA in the BusConnects Cork network and we will have delivery on the ground. It needs to be expedited but, in fairness, as the Deputy is a long-time member of both Cork City Council and the Oireachtas, he knows to get to the end result of BusConnects, there has to be planning, preparation and delivery in the context of BusConnects. There have been different approvals by Government in line with our infrastructure guidelines. I look forward to that happening and to the Deputy and me travelling on buses and being able to be positive about BusConnects Cork. I wish to make a genuine comment to Deputy Gould. I will happily articulate on his behalf and that of the residents he mentioned, who deserve a bus service that is reliable and accessible. I will take up the points regarding the residents of Glanmire because the Deputy is right. It is a fast-growing area. We need to ensure there is no gridlock in Cork. The N40 is jammed every morning. We have seen since the opening of the Munster Technological University, MTU, and University College Cork, UCC, after the summer and the growth of Cork University Hospital that traffic in the western suburbs has grown expeditiously. I will talk to the Deputy afterwards and I will communicate on his behalf, and that of the residents of Glanmire, with the NTA. As the Deputy knows, this is not an operational matter for me as a Minister of State and for the Department. It is the NTA working with Cork City Council. I will happily come back to Deputy Gould afterwards on that.

I wish to update the Minister of State. This route was supposed to be in place in 2024. We are in 2026 and we are told the route is not feasible. Millions of euro have been spent. Some €85 million has been spent in five years and now we are finding out things cannot be done. How many other routes will this also affect? There are people there at the moment who are experiencing the cost-of-living crisis and are struggling. They are looking at this Government and the NTA burning money. That is what they are doing. They are burning money while people are struggling. The NTA told me that detailed consideration of the scale and cost of the measures has led to a decision not to align this route. Why was that not discovered earlier? We have a situation in Cork where there is absolute gridlock, no matter which direction you are coming from, whether it is north, south, east or west. That is why we need BusConnects to deliver. What we have is BusConnects not delivering. We have areas like Clogheen, Kerry Pike, Sunday's Well, Upper Glanmire and other areas of Cork that are looking for bus services and were promised them. None of them have been delivered. The other area was Kilcully. All those places are waiting for buses with no sign of them. Actually, it is not that there is no sign of them; they are not coming.

I will pose the question to Deputy Gould: is he for or against BusConnects?

I am for it.

No, hold on-----

I met with it. I put in submissions.

Yes. The important point is that we have to deliver. The Deputy talks about burning money. Some €940 million of a public service obligation, PSO, contribution to public transport is a significant amount of money. The Deputy is around a long time and is a clever man. The money we are spending on BusConnects is about delivery and putting the infrastructure and the planning in place so we will have BusConnects. I am absolutely confident that BusConnects will succeed. The Deputy will come into this House and will be lauding BusConnects when it happens. He is right and I completely agree with him; it is not happening fast enough and it is taking far too long. I share his frustration and I understand the upset among people. I deal with it every day. I meet people every day. I use the bus, despite what the Deputy might think. There are ghost buses but, as the Deputy knows, as he talks to people in Bus Éireann, it cannot get mechanics or drivers. It has recruited internationally. We have to address the whole point. I share the Deputy's ambition. I want it delivered and I will work with him to have BusConnects succeed in Cork. I will take on board the Deputy's views, which are genuine, about the area of Glanmire. Glanmire is one of the fastest growing areas of Cork and it does require a bus service that delivers for people.