5.8 | Monitoring and

5.8 | Monitoring and Oversight

While this analysis will help to estimate the economic impact of congestion in our urban areas it will not, in itself, suggest the appropriate policy response. In certain contexts, some form of demand management will be required to achieve our sustainability and decarbonisation goals. We will conduct research to better understand how to deliver demand management measures in a way that achieves a just transition and supports economic wellbeing.

The success of NIFTI will depend on how effectively the framework and its priorities are implemented at the level of individual transport projects. To make certain that this happens, appropriate monitoring and oversight of the implementation of NIFTI will be required within the Department of Transport and its agencies.

Within the Department of Transport, a NIFTI implementation group will be established to monitor progress against the Implementation Actions and Policy Actions. In addition, the Department has existing arrangements in terms of oversight of capital investment. These will be adapted as necessary to include monitoring ongoing and future investments against the delivery of the four NIFTI Investment Priorities.

Rail can be a highly efficient means of transporting large numbers of people in an environmentally sustainable way. To inform our future investment in this sector and the role for rail in delivering our strategic priorities, the All-Island Strategic Rail Review is currently underway and is expected to be published in 2022.

In addition to monitoring the implementation of NIFTI’s follow-up actions and future sectoral investment to ensure it aligns with the NIFTI Investment Priorities, the NIFTI implementation group will be responsible for reporting on the implementation of the SEA Monitoring Framework. This will include monitoring that Departmental divisions with investment and/or oversight responsibilities ensure project Sponsoring Agencies consult with the appropriate statutory bodies where a project has transboundary impacts in Northern Ireland. In the event that potential for significant

Technological and social changes have the potential to significantly alter the way people and goods travel around Ireland. These changes can take place slowly over time or rapidly in response to an unanticipated shock, such as COVID-19. Moreover, the short-term changes brought about by a shock can serve to accelerate and consolidate longer term trends. It is therefore important that transport planning considers a range of possible scenarios to identify the investment requirements of the network. We will continue to develop our understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the sector. We will ensure that scenario

National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland |Project Ireland 2040

Table 4: Priority Areas for Further Analysis and Policy Development

	Policy Action
1	Conducting research to identify options to increase electric and low-emission vehicle uptake to support the transition away from grant supports
2	Conducting research to inform the development of a national infrastructure strategy, to ensure the necessary recharging and refuelling infrastructure is available to service electric and low-emission vehicles
3	Developing a long-term strategy for the road haulage sector
4	Identifying priority assets and infrastructure for protection and renewal investment in the context of climate adaptation and evolving infrastructure uses
5	Refreshing the cost of congestion analysis for Dublin and carrying out similar research for the other cities
6	Investigating the future role to be played by demand management
7	Developing our rail policy and identifying where rail services and infrastructure can be deployed most efficiently and efef ctively, including for freight, and the potential role of higher-/high-speed rail
8	Exploring potential future travel demand scenarios and assessing their implications on investment requirements
9	Identifying the housing potential associated with planned or proposed transport infrastructure development in the major urban centres

National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland | Implementation

impacts is identified, the group will verify, through the appropriate Departmental division, that Sponsoring Agencies have identified and undertaken necessary remedial actions.

Finally, while a considerable body of evidence has been collected to inform NIFTI, it is recognised that more work is required in certain areas. As a priority, we will pursue additional analysis and policy development in areas such as encouraging electric vehicle adoption, the decarbonisation of the road haulage sector, prioritising protection and renewal investment, congestion and demand management, the future development of the rail network, and ensuring our investment decisions are robust to unanticipated shocks.

Through the appropriate Departmental divisions, the implementation group will monitor and report on Sponsoring Agencies’ compliance with the relevant environmental screening and appraisal requirements, appropriate planning processes, inherent mitigation and construction best practices in respect of future transport investment. This will be part of the Department of Transport’s ongoing compliance with environmental regulations.

The Department of Transport is committed to mainstreaming environmental requirements and objectives into early-stage decision making, and this is reflected in its sectoral appraisal requirements, the CAF. In line with the recommendations identified through the SEA process, the Department will seek to strengthen and further integrate environmental considerations within the updated CAF.