The Green Party is making a €10bn investment in public transport a red line issue in any Government formation talks.
A Luas system for both Cork and Galway, a metropolitan rail service in Limerick and Waterford, Dart West, and increased local services around the country are key demands.
Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman said that, while planning for these projects has progressed, the next Government must fully commit to fund them and get them built.
“This is a red line issue for us. For too long in the previous decade, public transport was the poor relation when it came to transport spending in this country.
He said that “only the Green Party in Government” can ensure these big projects are delivered.
“Over the last four-and-a-half years, the Greens have absolutely focused on public transport. We’ve cut public transport fees for everybody by 20%, we’ve halved them for young adults, and — from next year — for children under the age of nine, public transport will be free,” said Mr O’Gorman.
“We’ve added an extra bus route every week over the last four-and-a-half years. In 2021, there were 20,000 people taking rural link services in Ireland. Now, that’s gone up to 100,000.
“The Green Party has focused on improving public transport, and we brought the big projects forward through the planning system.”
Meanwhile, Mr O’Gorman said he believes an interaction between the Taoiseach and a care worker in Kanturk on Friday represents a “defining moment” in the campaign, stressing the importance of listening to the public.
Taoiseach Simon Harris has since said there is “no excuse” for his failure to engage with a woman in a Cork supermarket when she challenged him about disability services.
A clip from the campaign trail, which has now amassed millions of views showed Mr Harris disagreeing with an emotional Charlotte Fallon, who works with St Joseph’s Foundation, when she challenged him on his government’s record.
Mr O’Gorman said that, while criticism is “not always easy”, it is crucial that politicians listen to the concerns of voters.
“I think politicians in Ireland are more connected with the voters than in many European countries, because we do go around to doors, we do have to actually make our case, house by house, vote by vote, to look for those number one votes. But that has to be a two-way process. We have to listen as well.
“If we stop listening, the decisions we take ultimately won’t reflect the priorities of the people. And yes, I do think it would appear to be a defining moment in this campaign,” he said.
