Do-nothing Government’s ‘ghost plan’ leaving commuters in the lurch

Green Party Transport Spokesperson, Cllr. Feljin Jose, has slammed the Government for delays in publishing the Sectoral Investment plan for transport after publishing a vague National Development Plan in July. This has created uncertainty over major projects like DART+, Luas extensions in Dublin, Cork Luas, Cork Commuter Rail and all the projects in the All-island Rail Review such as the reopening of the Western Rail Corridor and the Waterford-Wexford line.

Speaking today, Cllr. Jose said:

“In July, the government announced their damp squib of a National Development Plan which contained no details about the big infrastructure projects that are awaiting funding. An Taoiseach Micheál Martin said at the time that the details would be published “closer to the budget” 1 but the budget came and went, it’s now almost 2026 and shovel-ready projects like DART+ and Luas Finglas are languishing in limbo.”

“This comes at a time when congestion is getting worse every day and the need to reduce our transport has never been more pressing. We have some of the most congested cities in Europe with many people spending hours commuting in cars. These projects will eliminate the need for hundreds of thousands car journeys every day but only if the government stops reviewing and delaying and instead commits to building the shovel-ready projects we now have.”

“Aside from the big infrastructure projects, the plan to replace the increasingly unreliable DART trains from the 1980s has also been delayed by this government’s ongoing review of the National Development Plan2. What should be a straightforward and routine decision to renew the 42 year-old fleet has also plunged into uncertainty. While this do-nothing government is reviewing and delaying, costs are going up and commuters are facing longer commutes“.