Peadar Tóibín
Ceist:12. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when a rail line from Dublin to Navan will be provided in view of the fact that the commuting situation is deteriorating. [52212/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 12 December 2018
Ceisteanna (12)
Freagraí ó Béal (3 píosaí cainte)
I have raised this issue with the Minister a number of times. Meath has a population that is now approaching 250,000. It is the fastest growing population in the country. Meath is now one of the most populous counties. It has the highest number of commuters per capita. The majority of workers this morning left the county to go to work. That happens in no other county in the country. Meath is unique in that regard. Meath residents commute farther than commuters from any other county, yet Navan is the biggest town in the country without a rail line. When will the rail line to Meath be built?
I thank the Deputy for the question. I believe it was raised before. I wish the Deputy well in his new venture. I welcome the fact that he has not lost sight of the home base while doing what he has to do.
As the Deputy is aware, the Navan corridor, or M3 corridor, is currently served by a commuter rail service that commences at M3 Parkway and serves Dunboyne before continuing through to Docklands. The service also allows for interchange with Maynooth line services at Clonsilla. Importantly, the service also benefits from two park-and-ride sites, with 1,200 parking spaces available at M3 Parkway and 300 at Dunboyne. These park-and-ride sites broaden the reach of the service and allow for people who might not live in the immediate vicinity of either station to make use of the service.
In 2016, the NTA published its statutory transport strategy for the greater Dublin area, in which the issue of a rail link to Navan was considered. The strategy states that based on current population and employment forecasts, the level of travel demand between Navan, Dunshaughlin and various stations to the city centre is insufficient to justify the development of a high-capacity rail link at the current time. Instead, the strategy proposes an enhanced bus service along the corridor and the development of a bus hub in Navan. In addition, the strategy also proposes enhanced bus services on the N2 corridor.
Late last year, Bus Éireann announced new services along the M3 corridor, known as the NX service, which starts in Navan and is scheduled to operate every 20 minutes during the day. While I acknowledge that the introduction of the new service has not been without problems, I believe the provision of an all-day service every 20 minutes operated by double decker coaches does represent a step forward in terms of public transport capacity on the route.
Meath County Council, in collaboration with the NTA, is currently progressing the development of a bus hub as provided for by the transport strategy. Importantly, the transport strategy clearly states that the issue of a rail link to Navan should be kept under review, taking into account the scale of new and planned development along the route. The strategy also clearly states that the corridor previously identified for a Navan rail link should be protected from development.
The transport system, especially around the commuter belt, is at breaking point. Anybody using the M3 or roads such as the M50 will know they are chock-a-block from 7 a.m. If an accident occurs on those roads, the whole system becomes snarled up. This is a massive difficulty for commuters. Over the past ten years, we have had one of the lowest levels of expenditure on infrastructure in the European Union, and that has had its effect. Many are living in commuter hell. Many businesses are pouring millions of euro down the drain owing to commuters getting stuck in traffic jams.
This is also hurting people financially. People living in the west of my county are spending approximately €2,500 per year on tolls in addition to what it costs to run a car in the first instance. The Minister stated that the demand is not there for the service. Ten years ago, however, Fine Gael had a plan to build a rail line to Meath. It took that plan off the table and stated that there was not enough money in the Exchequer to build the line. Exchequer spending is back to 2008 levels so the money is there and the demand exists. I ask the Minister to ensure that this key infrastructure is built soon.
Written Answers are published on the Oireachtas website.