186. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Transport to provide an update on his work to improve transport connections in north Louth. [67412/26]

Significant work has been undertaken to improve transport connections in County Lough, in line with our strategic documents like the Programme for Government and our National Development Plan, specifically the Transport Sectoral Investment Plan.

The DART+ Coastal North project will significantly increase the peak hourly capacity and frequency on the Northern route between Dublin city and Malahide, Howth and Drogheda, with the section between Malahide and Drogheda, as part of the service between Dublin city and Drogheda, nearly doubling capacity from about 4,800 to 8,800 passengers at peak hour/direction when complete.

In June 2026, it was announced that €93 million would be provided from Shared Island Funding to accelerate the delivery of infrastructure as part of DART+ Coastal North, in particular the turnback facility at Malahide Station and a track loop at Clongriffin and signalling upgrades. These will allow help address issues of congestion on the busy Northern rail line and will help Enterprise trains to seamlessly pass DART trains at both stations.

Three orders of 285 new rail carriages have been placed with the supplier Alstom, the majority of these being battery-electric carriages.  The first order for the purchase of 95 additional DART carriages, which compromise of 65 battery-electric carriages and 30 electric carriages, have started arriving and are currently undergoing certification and safety testing.

It is planned that the new battery-electric sets will be initially deployed on the Northern Commuter Line serving Dublin to/from Drogheda from 2027.

Under Budget 2026, the Department of Transport secured €940 million of funding for Public Service Obligation and TFI Local Link services providing a significant 43% uplift from 2025.

In relation to specifics for County Louth, below is our current plan for new or enhanced services:

• Enhancement of TFI 161 (Dundalk - Carlingford - Newry)  bus service, including Sunday services and improved operation hours;

• Enhancement of TFI 162 (Dundalk - Monaghan) bus service. This includes significant uplift in frequency and hours of operation (Monday to Sunday); and

• Ongoing reviews of operation of existing services in County Louth, including a review of the TFI 177 bus service and a review of bus service between Ardee - Dunleer;

• A proposed new route DN1, which will operate between Ath Lethan, Dundalk, DKIT and Haynestown/Marlmount. The implementation date is subject to confirmation of funding, so a firm date cannot be confirmed.

• Currently, there are ten town bus services in Ireland; Dundalk, Drogheda, (Athlone, Balbriggan, Carlow, Clonmel, Kilkenny, Navan, Portlaoise and Sligo.) The National Transport Authority (NTA) are assessing demand for enhanced bus services in Dundalk.

• Passenger numbers on Rural Regular Service (RRS) routes in Louth also increased by 72% from 2024 to 2025.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) has allocated €4,000,000 to Louth County Council in 2026 to fund walking and cycling infrastructure projects around the county.

This funding includes allocation for a number of active travel projects in Dundalk, including the R132 Inner Relief Road, Mill Street, and the AT link between the Bus Station and the Rail Station.

In addition, the funding will contribute to the delivery of a number of projects at schools that are part of the Safe Routes to School programme, including at St Louis Secondary School and Scoil Phadraig Naofa in Dundalk, Mullaghbuoy NS, and St Peter’s NS in Dromiskin.

I can confirm that €75,000 has been allocated for the N52 Ardee Bypass scheme in 2026. As with all national roads projects in the NDP, the delivery programme for the project will be kept under review for 2027 and considered in terms of the overall funding envelope available to TII.

In accordance with Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993, as amended, the improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority. Work on such roads is funded from Councils' own resources, supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of work to be funded is a matter for local authorities.

In February, Louth County Council was allocated €10,810,650, with €10,040,650 of this allocated for the protection and renewal of Louth's regional and local roads. This includes the funding of three Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience works schemes, sixteen Bridge Rehabilitation Works schemes and fourteen Safety Improvement Works schemes.