86. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for Transport his views on the delivery of a Waterford metropolitan rail network; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42073/24]

As the Deputy may be aware, land transport investment in our five cities, including Waterford, is guided by the metropolitan area transport strategies which have been developed for each city. These multimodal strategies provide the necessary evidence-based and plan-led framework to guide transport investment in each city over the short, medium and longer term. This type of approach provides the type of long-term planning that is needed to ensure good transport infrastructure delivery and related integration with land-use planning in our cites.

The Waterford Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy (WMATS) was published in December 2022. It was developed by the NTA in collaboration with Waterford City & County Council, Kilkenny County Council, the Southern Regional Assembly and Transport Infrastructure Ireland. WMATS aims to provide an accessible and integrated transport network to meet the travel demands and support the sustainable growth of the Waterford Metropolitan Area up to 2040.

Noting the NTA's role in the development of the WMATS, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA. Please contact my office if you do not receive a reply within 10 days.