Public Transport

132. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Transport to provide an update on the actions undertaken to improve transport in rural areas. [67411/26]

I am asking about the actions undertaken to improve transport in rural areas, in particular in north Louth and mid-Louth.

I thank the Deputy for her ongoing support for public transport in Louth and other places in rural Ireland. This question deserves attention in terms of the progress we have made in rural transport. As the Deputy knows, it is one of the key points of our programme for Government. The Minister, the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, and I are very much committed to balanced regional investment being designated as a core principle in the national development plan, NDP, sectoral investment plan for transport. Predicated on that is investment in rural transport, Local Link and that piece to which we will return in a minute. The Government is firmly committed to rolling out additional improved service levels along with expanded and improved infrastructure at national and regional levels. Probably the most visible of these programmes is the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan. This is a multiphase programme of investment in a new and improved public transport service for rural areas. Under the programme, upwards of 600,000 people now have access to useful daily public transport services for the first time and 188 new and improved regular public transport services have been provided, resulting in a more than fivefold increase in passenger numbers. Multimodal transport is something that has existed in urban areas for a long time and I am delighted that, under our remit, we are now seeing rural communities connected as well. It is a key commitment in the programme for Government and also for County Louth, and I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. I met John McGahon, chief executive of Dundalk Chamber of Commerce yesterday and he raised the matter with me. The Deputy has been very strong in her advocacy to me for a long time. The sectoral plan will also see us looking at investment in greenways but also giving an uplift in terms of rail. In my supplementary answer, I will discuss other matters regarding County Louth.

As the Minister of State is aware, Louth is the smallest county. Sometimes, one would imagine that it would be easier to get around the county by bus but when one tries to reduce one's reliance on private transport, it feels sometimes like crossing a continent. We all know that rural connectivity is a real programme for Government commitment. We need to be able to travel between our towns and villages and from our rural communities where people live, work and access all services. The bus service in Louth is not fit for purpose in many ways. There is no direct bus between Ardee and Dunleer, which are neighbouring towns and only a 15-minute drive apart. To make that short journey by public transport, one has to go from Ardee to Dundalk or from Ardee to Drogheda to get to Dunleer. It makes no sense. The service from Dundalk to Omeath and beyond is very local to me. Buses serve the Cooley Peninsula but the timetable is far too limited. If one wants to rely on transport for education, healthcare or work, one really needs to take the car. The service does not get people to where they need to be in a particular time. We need more frequency.

I hear what the Deputy is saying in the context of County Louth. The key point for us as a Department and for me as the Minister of State with responsibility for rural transport is to look, along with TFI and Local Link, at the enhancement of the No. 161 from Dundalk to Carlingford to Newry. We are also looking at the piece around the No. 162 Dundalk to Monaghan bus service and the review of existing services in County Louth, including the No. 177 between Ardee and Dunleer. I will certainly take the Deputy's views back. We are looking at the proposed new DN1 route between Áth Leathan, Dundalk Institute of Technology, DkIT, and Haynestown-Marlmount. As part of our negotiations with the Department of public expenditure on the budget, it is important that we see investment in rural transport, but I will work with the Deputy to ensure that we see further investment in County Louth.

It is positive that the Minister of State is looking at this. We need a robust plan for Louth to allow us to travel across and enjoy our county by bus. It is a fabulous place and the integration of additional routes would be a fantastic investment in the people and roads of County Louth.

I was in Carlingford over the summer, which is a beautiful spot. Regarding the Deputy's point about passenger numbers, the numbers using the regular rural service have increased by 72%.

That shows the interest.

If we put in investment aligned with the interest, people will travel. As the Deputy said, it is about tourism and economic opportunity but also about getting people from A to B. It goes back to the discussion that I had with Deputy Gould this morning about getting people out of their cars and onto buses. I will work with Deputy McGreehan on that.