The programme for Government makes multiple references to public transport and the need to better serve the greater Dublin area. I represent the commuter belt constituency of Kildare North, which is heavily dependent on rail links into the capital and yet the stations can no longer accommodate the demand. The car parks are creaking at the seams. The Sallins and Naas station in my constituency is now averaging 165% to 175% occupancy and Maynooth would be very similar. That means that an additional two thirds of the number of cars that can safely be accommodated are squeezing into the car park every morning. Somebody arriving from 7.30 a.m. onwards has no chance of a space and must drive on in the car to Dublin.

Irish Rail has advised me that it would gladly extend the car parks and examine all the options if the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport would only open the purse strings. Will the Taoiseach ask the Minister to examine this very serious issue and provide park-and-ride facilities across Kildare North and the wider commuter belt?

I am very familiar with the issue, as the Deputy can imagine, because people may start their train journey in Maynooth and Leixlip, but shortly after that the train arrives full in my constituency in Clonsilla, Coolmine, Castleknock, Navan Road Parkway and Hansfield. Passenger numbers on those train lines have now exceeded where they were before the financial crisis began, which is good on one level because it shows that people are working again, but obviously we are now facing the kinds of traffic problems we saw before the crisis with congestion on our train lines. This matter will be considered as part of the ten-year investment plan which we intend to publish in the next couple of weeks with a view to upgrading those train lines significantly through additional carriages, electrification and car parks. As is the case with all these things, it is not possible to do them quickly. We would have done them four or five years ago had we not been broke, but unfortunately we were.