124. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Transport the reasoning behind the proposed removal of the direct 126D bus service to Dublin City University as part of the revised 126 corridor; the assessment carried out of the impact on students currently using the service; and whether the National Transport Authority will consider retaining direct peak-time services to DCU where demand exists. [67344/26]

As part of their statutory role for providing public transport services nationally, I understand the NTA reviewed this service as part of a wider review of the Kildare Commuter network, which was publicly consulted on earlier this year. The review was aimed at improving punctuality and reliability, adding capacity and improving the navigational ease of the corridor. The consultation response was broadly supportive, with clear agreement on the need for additional capacity in particular.

The proposal simplifies the numerous 126 variants into a single, higher frequency alignment between Dublin, Naas, Newbridge, Kildare and Rathangan, backed by a 24-hour service between Dublin, Naas and Newbridge, plus new routes to serve areas like UCD and Suncroft.

I understand from the NTA that the current 126D service provides one morning inbound trip into DCU from Newbridge. On the DCU stop specifically, the NTA advise that the direct link was reprioritised to a connection to concentrate resources on the higher capacity primary corridor, giving passengers more frequent access to the city centre, where they can interchange on to urban buses for the final leg of their journey. That in turn allows commuter buses to run more intensively on the core corridor. It is also worth noting that this interchange was already required for the return trip in the evening period.

The NTA’s assessment is that this is a more efficient and effective use of resources and while there are no current plans to retain a dedicated peak period service to DCU, they will keep all planning considerations under review. I can assure the Deputy that my Department will continue to work with the NTA to ensure we are delivering a public transport system that is reliable, accessible, and affordable for everyone, including our student population.