Martin Kenny
Question:54. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Transport the status of his Department’s plans for upgrading the transport infrastructure around Dublin Airport and its environs. [22231/24]
View answerThursday, 16 May 2024
Questions (54)
Oral answers (7 contributions)
Will the Minister outline his plans for upgrading the transport infrastructure around Dublin Airport and its environs? We see a situation there, unfortunately, where we are entering the summer period when the airport will get busier and there are very few options for people to come and go from there. There is no rail infrastructure linking to it. There are buses, which are very often congested and crowded. There is also a parking issue at the airport due to the Dublin Airport Authority, DAA, being unable to purchase the car park that has been sitting idle for several years. I would like the Minister to comment on this issue.
As the Deputy will be aware, the national planning framework calls for enhanced land-side access to Dublin Airport, particularly in public transport terms. I also note that the local authority’s local area plan for the airport requires that any planning application to increase passenger numbers at the airport must clearly demonstrate the transport infrastructure and measures required to accommodate any proposed increase.
The Deputy will be aware that An Bord Pleanála recently concluded its oral hearing into MetroLink, which is going to be a transformational project not just for Dublin Airport but, more importantly, for the wider Fingal area generally. It will provide a new high-capacity public transport corridor from Swords to the city centre via the airport and its delivery is something I know all sides of the House are keen to see.
In the shorter term, I am pleased the NTA is currently in the process of introducing significant improvements to the public transport offering at Dublin Airport as part of the continued roll-out of the BusConnects network redesign project. These improvements will see new and enhanced services introduced from September this year and continuing throughout next year as well, improving connections between the airport and all parts of Dublin, north, south, east, west and the city centre. This will build on the 1,000-plus buses that depart the airport daily serving passengers in Dublin and throughout the country. These service improvements will be accompanied by infrastructure improvements as well through the planned Swords core bus corridor. I am pleased that we are starting to see planning decisions emerge from An Bord Pleanála regarding BusConnects corridors and I look forward to a similar decision relating to Swords.
Responsibilities for the ongoing development of the road network are a function of the local authority in respect of regional and local roads and of TII in respect of the national road network. The local area plan has several medium- and longer-term proposals in that regard.
The Minister referred to increased capabilities and capacities and that these will be in place by September. The summer will be the busiest period. We all acknowledge and understand this fact. Last year, there were extensive delays and many problems for people coming and going from the airport, and I think the Minister will acknowledge this himself. The issue with car parking needs to be dealt with. As I said, a car park has been sitting idle for several years. I think it closed before the Covid-19 pandemic. The DAA has attempted to purchase the car park but this has fallen foul of the competition authorities and cannot go ahead. We find, therefore, that the car park is still lying empty. I ask that the Minister intervene and ensure that either the DAA or one of the private parking providers will be able to lease this facility at least for the summer period to ensure the pressure is taken off car parking at the airport. I acknowledge that the Minister's intention is to have fewer people driving to the airport and to have public transport in place, but it is not in place for very many people. I know of instances where people tried to get the bus to the airport but the buses coming from rural areas were full. People have had serious issues trying to get public transport the airport.
There has been a significant increase in public transport. As I said, 1,000 buses a day are going to and from the airport. This is a 10% increase on the bus services available last year. As the Deputy said, we have further bus improvements planned. There has also been a 20% increase in the number of taxi permits operating at the airport. The vast majority of passengers using taxis are able to get one within ten minutes. There are 23,000 car parking spaces at Dublin Airport. The Deputy is correct, though, that there are times, especially in the summer, when Dublin Airport advises passengers to book in advance because capacity is limited. We clearly need people to switch to public transport for the better operation of the airport and, with these improved public transport options, a better experience for passengers. I must be careful, though. It might be easy to say, "Well, wave your wand and go in and take on a commercial operation", but the competition authority has ruled in this regard concerning the one car park that was for sale. We must be careful not to intervene in a separate legal process. This will make its own way through the appropriate planning system. I believe the long-term future for Dublin Airport, which is important, is best served through the major enhancement of public transport, which is what we are doing.
I appreciate that and we all understand that is the intention and where we need to be going. The Minister, though, spoke of snapping fingers or having a magic wand. Clearly, the Minister cannot snap his fingers, wave a magic wand and improve public transport overnight. I understand this point. In the meantime, though, a car park with capacity for 5,000 cars has been sitting there empty for four years. It needs to be recognised that in the absence of alternatives, car parking spaces need to be provided to allow people to be able to use the airport. This is one of the critical problems we have. I understand the car park has been for sale. What I am asking is that the Government and everyone would get around the table and come up with a solution to ensure that at least the car park will be able to be used by somebody and that some provider will be able to provide car parking spaces for people to use at the airport. We do not want to see a situation like the one we had last year.
The Minister also mentioned buses. I have dealt with issues concerning buses, and I am sure Deputies from every rural area would tell him the same, where those going to the airport from different pats of the country have been full to capacity when people have gone to get them. Recently, I had an incident that a man in Ballyshannon contacted me about. Two elderly people were intending to get on the bus but they did not know that they needed to book seats on the bus in advance and that they had to go online to do so. They arrived at the bus stop with their baggage and were then unable to get on the bus. This man then had to put them in his van and drive them to the airport. We need to find a solution to this problem and ensure that Bus Éireann makes it very clear to people that if they want to get the bus to the airport, they need to book it in advance and that if it is full the company will put additional capacity in place because it is not doing this either.
I thank the Deputy. The last word goes to the Minister.
Significant bus enhancements are coming. The first we want to see is the planning decision on the Swords bus corridor. As soon as that is delivered, we will go into the process of implementing the BusConnects programme. A series of new services are planned that will come in with that initiation. These include the L81, L83 and L85 services, which are planned to serve the airport and go through Swords to Sutton, Portrane and Balbriggan. This September, we will have a new service going from Parnell Square via Ballymun and Drumcondra. This will be route 19 to the airport. Similarly, and again commencing this September, in some four months, a new route 24 airport service will leave from Merrion Square. Significant bus enhancements, therefore, have been approved for Dublin Airport. The 1,000 buses going to the airport daily have proved extremely successful. The Deputy is correct that these services are of major benefit, especially for longer-distance commuters. There are instances, though, where people are not able to get a seat and I absolutely do recognise this is a significant issue. Those are commercial operations and are not operated by the NTA. It is not a public service obligation so we do not have full control over the nature and management of the services. However, i expect to see, and we will facilitate and support in every way we can, such bus access to the airport pending the arrival of the metro and other services.