Galway bus corridor and route 424
Deputy Connolly raised unanswered NTA concerns about expanding Galway bus services and progressing the Dublin Road bus corridor. The Tánaiste said he would ask the Transport Minister to get clarity on both issues.
Yesterday, the National Transport Authority, NTA, provided an opportunity for Members to raise issues with it regarding public transport in our constituencies. When I asked about expanding and developing further bus services in Galway, particularly the 424, the NTA advised me that the budget for 2026 has not yet been defined so it could not provide me with an answer. Of greater concern was the fact that, when I asked it about the development of the new Dublin Road bus corridor in Galway city, which has been in the Galway transport strategy since 2006 and includes 4 km of priority bus measures, it advised me it could not give a commitment yet because its capital budget is unknown.
We know about Galway's transport problems. The Dublin Road bus corridor is a crucial infrastructural project to ease Galway's traffic and transport problems. It is ready to go, it has full planning and there is no judicial review. I ask for a commitment from the Government to make sure this project proceeds.
Comment on this
I thank Deputy Connolly for raising this matter, which I will immediately raise with the Minister for Transport because we have provided significant capital uplift to the Department of Transport, quite rightly, for both road and public transport projects. I am aware there are specific issues around congestion, traffic and transport links in Galway. We are eager, as a Government, to see progress on them as well, specifically on the 424 bus route and the Dublin Road bus corridor as well. I will ask the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, to get clarity for the Deputy on that. He will come back to the Deputy directly.