6.2 Programme B - Public Transport

6.2 Programme B - Public Transport

High Level Goal: To deliver an accessible, efficient safe and sustainable Public Transport system that supports communities, households and businesses.

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Public Transport Indicative Annual Allocations

Programme B: Public Transport*
2026	2027	2028	2029	2030
€1.4bn	€2bn	€2.5bn	€2.3bn	€1.9bn

*All funding is indicative, subject to annual Estimates process, and excludes the provision of €2 billion from the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund to support the commencement of MetroLink’s construction. Rounding may affect totals.

Investment Strategies

NDP investment in the public transport network in each of the five cities is guided by the metropolitan area transport strategies, which have been developed by the NTA. This evidence-informed, plan-led approach to transport investment is in line with international best-practice, and each of the strategies sets out investment priorities over the short, medium, and longer term. Outside of the five cities, the All-Island Strategic Rail Review sets out an ambitious vision for the future development of the inter-city and interregional rail network, while investment in rural bus infrastructure is informed by requirements arising from the continued implementation of the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility plan.

Programme Summary

The NDP funding for public transport is allocated primarily in line with the Department’s NIFTI intervention hierarchy of Maintain, Optimise, Improve, and New. This approach involves prioritising investment in the protection and renewal of existing assets before investing in new ones, on economic and environmental grounds. All of the investment supports the aim of a modal shift to public transport.

Under Maintain, the key programmes include protection and renewal of the heavy rail network through increased allocations provided toward the Infrastructure Manager Multi-Annual Contract (IMMAC), continued investment in bus and light rail fleets, supporting the bus stop enhancement programme, and the replacement of the original DART fleet. Construction will also commence on the East Coast Railway Infrastructure Protection Projects (ECRIPP).

In terms of Optimise, funding allocated under this NDP will support the NTA to commence delivery of Next Generation Ticketing, incorporating the latest developments in account-based ticketing technology, and to deliver Next Generation Automatic Vehicle Location, improving the quality of real-time bus service information for passengers across the country. To support decarbonisation and to improve the passenger experience, the NTA will continue to roll out zero emission buses in each of the five cities, in addition to the electrification of existing depots and construction of new depots.

Turning to Improve, the next five years will see Iarnród Éireann complete Phase 1 of the Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme and commence Phase 2, starting with new train stations at Blackpool and Dunkettle and initial electrification works and depot construction. It will deliver the National Train Control Centre and introduce a new Real Time Passenger Information app. NDP funding will also progress the replacement of the Enterprise intercity train fleet on the Dublin to Belfast line with support from the EU’s PEACEPLUS programme, and it will start the roll-out of a new Train Protection System across the network.

Funding under this NDP will ensure delivery of the priority public transport accessibility actions and commitments in the Programme for Government and the ‘National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030’, including reducing the periods of ‘Advance Notice’ and the expansion of the Independent Travel Assist scheme.

Furthermore, over the period to 2030, it is planned to commence implementation of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review, which was published in July 2024. Specifically, as part of follow-on work on implementing the Review’s recommendations with the European Investment Bank, a range of priority and relatively low-cost interventions have been identified for delivery such as a new platform at Limerick Junction to assist train journeys between Galway/Ennis and Waterford, new track passing loops covering the Limerick to Waterford line, Sligo line, Westport/Ballina line and Dublin-Belfast Northern line, and additional platforms for stations on the Galway and Sligo routes, all of which will help enhance rail resilience and services. There will also be removal of level crossings on the Dublin-Cork main line.

With regard to New, this NDP will see construction commence on BusConnects, the DART+ Programme, MetroLink, and the Western Rail Corridor. On BusConnects, construction will commence on new bus corridors in Cork (subject to planning), Dublin, and Galway, significantly improving the infrastructure available to support the continued investment in bus services as supported through the PSO programme.

On the heavy rail system, NDP funding will allow Iarnród Éireann to start construction on the DART+ Programme, including construction of the new Spencer Dock station and the new DART+ depot, electrification of DART+ West, extension of the DART to Wicklow town, improvements on the Bray to Greystones section of the line, and continued progression of the wider programme through land acquisition on foot of Railway Orders received. New DART+ fleet will enter service on the network in 2027, starting with the Northern Line, while there is also potential to commence works on other elements of DART+ Coastal North, including supporting infrastucture such as track passing loops and a new platform at Drogheda station, prior to 2030, in advance of works on Overhead Line Equipment (OHLE).

Funding provided under this NDP will also see the Navan Rail Line progress through the statutory planning system to Railway Order stage, as well as supporting the construction of new train stations. Moreover, this NDP will also see construction commence on the Western Rail Corridor between Athenry and Claremorris, in line with the recommendation of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review and Ireland’s obligations under the EU’s TEN-T Regulation.

In advance of that, and as recommended by the All-Island Strategic Rail Review, works will take place to safeguard the corridor to accommodate its reinstatement.

Since the last NDP, there has been significant progress on MetroLink, including most recently the positive planning decision by An Coimisiún Pleanála, as well as this NDP’s allocation of €2bn from the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund to ensure MetroLink moves forward to construction within the lifetime of this NDP.

On light rail, construction will commence on Luas Finglas, with a Railway Order application expected to be lodged in respect of Luas Cork.

Investment under the public transport programme will also help support improved access to Dublin Airport, complementing improved connections from the road network from the west and north of the airport campus.

Delivery Structures

There are well-established delivery structures in place in the public transport programme, with the NTA acting as day-to-day Approving Authority and different agencies acting as Sponsoring Agencies under the Infrastructure Guidelines. The protection and renewal of the rail network is undertaken by Iarnród Éireann’s Infrastructure Manager Division, under the statutory oversight of the Commission for Railway Regulation (CRR) and reporting to the Department.

The Department fulfils its obligations as the ultimate Approving Authority through different governance arrangements, including the Major Projects Governance Oversight Group for the major public transport projects and quarterly meetings with the CRR and Iarnród Éireann as part of the IMMAC.

List of Major Public Transport Projects (>€200m) Scheduled to Commence Construction / Procurement by 2030.1

Project	Approving Authority	Sponsoring Agency	Current Stage of Project Lifecycle	Next Approval Gate	Procurement Timeline	Construction Timeline	Successful Tenderer	Cost Range
Bus Connects Cork	NTA	NTA & transport operators	Strategic Assessment & Preliminary Business Case	Various, mostly AG2	Various, due to different projects involved	Various, 2026-2030+	Various	€1bn+
Bus Connects Dublin	NTA	NTA & transport operators	Various, due to different projects involved	Various, mostly at AG2-3	Various, due to different projects involved	Various, 2026-2030+	Various	€1bn+
Bus Connects Galway	NTA	NTA & transport operators	Strategic Assessment & Preliminary Business Case	AG1	Various, due to different projects involved	Various, 2026-2030+	Not yet awarded	€500m - €1bn
Bus Connects Limerick	NTA	NTA & transport operators	Strategic Assessment & Preliminary Business Case	AG1	Various, due to different projects involved	Various, 2026-2030+	Not yet awarded	€500m - €1bn
BusConnects Waterford	NTA	NTA & transport operators	Strategic Assessment & Preliminary Business Case	AG1	Various, due to different projects involved	Various, 2026-2030+	Not yet awarded	€200m - €500m

Progression of all individual projects remains subject to compliance with the Infrastructure Guidelines, statutory planning and procurement requirements, as relevant.

Project	Approving Authority	Sponsoring Agency	Current Stage of Project Lifecycle	Next Approval Gate	Procurement Timeline	Construction Timeline	Successful Tenderer	Cost Range
Cork Area Commuter Rail	NTA	Iarnród Éireann	Implementation (Phase 1)	N/A (Phase 1)	2026-2027	2026-2030+	Alstom, John Cradock Ltd, AECOM, TYPSA and Roughan O’Donovan (Phase 2 Design)	€1bn+
			Strategic Assessment & Preliminary Business Case (Phase 2)	AG1 (Phase 2)
Cork Northern Distributor Road	NTA	Cork City Council	Strategic Assessment & Preliminary Business Case	AG1	2028-2029	2030+	Not yet awarded	€200m - €500m
DART+ West	NTA	Iarnród Éireann	Project Design, Planning & Procurement Strategy	AG2	2026	Commence by 2027	Not yet awarded	€1bn+
DART+ South West	NTA	Iarnród Éireann	Project Design, Planning & Procurement Strategy	AG2	2028-2029	2030+	Not yet awarded	€1bn+
DART+ Coastal North	NTA	Iarnród Éireann	Project Design, Planning & Procurement Strategy	AG2	2027	2028-2030+	Not yet awarded	€500m - €1bn
DART+ Coastal South	NTA	Iarnród Éireann	Project Design, Planning & Procurement Strategy	AG1	2026	2027-2030+	Not yet awarded	€200m - €500m
DART+ to Wicklow Town	NTA	Iarnród Éireann	Strategic Assessment & Preliminary Business Case	AG1	2026	2027	Not yet awarded	€50m - €100m
DART and DART+ fleet	NTA	Iarnród Éireann	Implementation	Post-AG3	N/A	2026-2030	Alstom	€200m - €500m
ECRIPP	NTA	Iarnród Éireann	Strategic Assessment & Preliminary Business Case	AG1	Various	2026-2030+	Not yet awarded	€200m - €500m
Enterprise Fleet Replacement Programme	DoT / Department for Infrastructure (NI)	Iarnród Éireann / Translink	Final Business Case	AG3	2024-2025	2026-2030+	Not yet awarded	€500m - €1bn
IMMAC	DoT	Iarnród Éireann	Implementation	AG3	N/A	2026-2030	Various	€1bn+
Luas Finglas	NTA	TII	Project Design, Planning & Procurement Strategy	AG2	2027-2028	Commence by 2029	Not yet awarded	€500m - €1bn
Luas Red Line Fleet	NTA	TII	Final Business Case	AG3	2026	2026-2030+	Not yet awarded	€100m -€200m
MetroLink	NTA	Metrolink delivery body	Project Design, Planning & Procurement Strategy	AG2	2026-2027	Commence by 2027	Not yet awarded	€1bn+
Next Generation Ticketing	NTA	NTA & transport operators	Implementation	Post-AG3	N/A	2027-2030+	Indra Sistemas	€200m - €500m
Train Protection System	NTA	Iarnród Éireann	Strategic Assessment & Preliminary Business Case	AG1	2026	2026-2030+	Not yet awarded	€500m - €1bn
Western Rail Corridor	NTA	Iarnród Éireann	Strategic Assessment & Preliminary Business Case	AG1	By 2027	Commence By 2028	Not yet awarded	€500m - €1bn