Terence Flanagan
Question:301. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on rapid bus plans for Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7408/14]
View answerThursday, 13 February 2014
Questions (301)
Written answers
The NTA has statutory responsibility for developing public transport infrastructure in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA) including Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). Preparatory planning work is being overseen by the Authority in relation to BRT projects and they have included proposals for three routes in their draft Implementation Plan 2013 -2018 whilst noting that construction is subject to availability of funding.
Under the current capital plan to 2016 5-year plan (Infrastructural and Capital Investment 2012-2016: Medium term Exchequer Framework) funding is only available for the initial design and route selection of a small number of BRT schemes. The BRT schemes identified by the NTA, of which Swords/Airport has been identified as a priority, will be included for consideration with other projects in deciding on priorities for the capital plan post 2016. The NTA will have to carry out further detailed assessment on each proposal, including a business case, once a preferred route is selected. I understand that the NTA is shortly to commence a public consultation process on the three identified BRT routes.
BRT would be a fast and efficient form of public transport in some parts of Dublin, and would be cheaper to build, operate and maintain than rail. BRT will not on its own replace rail based services where a higher capacity solution is required in the long term, such as on the Swords/Airport corridor. In that case it appears to offer an interim solution pending decisions on rail solutions. Overall there is a role in the future for BRT on certain routes as part of the mix of public transport options for commuters in our cities.