Minister’s Foreword
This year marks the second since the launch of the National Sustainable Mobility Policy (SMP)
Work has also continued on our large-scale infrastructure projects including Metrolink, BusConnects, DART+ West, DART+ South West and DART+ Coastal North in Dublin, and the Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme, with all making progress through the development and planning stages over the past year.
1 – a policy that aims to transform how we travel, making sustainable journeys more attractive and feasible for all. We are now more than halfway through the delivery of the first SMP Action Plan 2022-2025, making this a timely opportunity to consider our achievements to date, while also seeking to accelerate progress in a way that is innovative, inclusive and in line with our climate commitments.
Our sustained effort towards a new vision for our transport system – a system which is efficient, safe, healthy and sustainable for all our people – will assist in the hugely challenging task of achieving our emissions reduction targets. We have taken the first steps towards realising our ambitions, and now is the time to continue, onwards and upwards, to a more sustainable future.
Public transport is one area that has seen huge improvement already since the publication of the SMP. Since its launch, Connecting Ireland has been transformational for so many people across the country. We now have over 190 towns and villages connected to the public transport network, and over 280,000 people have access to new and enhanced bus services. Alongside the increased services, passenger numbers have seen exponential growth, increasing by 78% year-on-year to 3.2 million in 2023. The expansion of rural bus services has been vital in bringing life back into our villages, towns and urban centres, offering an accessible, sustainable and peoplecentred alternative to travel by private car.
Minister for Transport
Active travel is another sector which has seen considerable growth in recent years. For 2024, €290 million has been allocated to walking and cycling projects through the NTA’s Active Travel Programme, including over €60 million to local authorities outside the Greater Dublin Area and regional cities. By the end of 2024, over €1 billion will have been invested in such projects since 2020, increasing access to safe cycling and walking infrastructure for people across the country.
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