Last week the National Transport Authority met with the Oireachtas Transport Committee and answered questions about two significant Galway projects. The Galway Bus Network Redesign has recently been updated, but will not roll out until 2027 at the earliest.
Green Party leader, Roderic O’Gorman TD wanted to know what was causing the delay on this project. Hugh Creegan, the interim chief executive of the NTA, responded that “It largely comes down to funding”. The capital funding will be decided in the sectoral plan, which is part of the National Development Plan (NDP ).
The second Galway project discussed was the GLUAS. The last government funded a feasibility study for light rail in Galway. Roderic O’Gorman wanted to know what comes next. The NTA responded that the next steps depend on the Galway Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy (GMATS ), and that process is blocked waiting on a decision on the Ring Road.
From a Galway perspective, Niall Murphy, former city councillor, said “allowing the Ring Road decision to paralyse projects like GLUAS along with all other issues in the GMATS has been a disaster for Galway.
"It is also frustrating that the NTA gave no indication how the ring road decision would impact the GLUAS plans. Would permission for the ring road make GLUAS more likely or less likely? They clearly serve different purposes and one should not block the other.”
Murphy commented further “Galway will be hoping the bus rollout and the GLUAS get favourable mention when the transport sectoral plan of the NPD is published in a few weeks. That document should tell us how much will be spent on public transport for capital projects over the next five years. Galway needs that certainty so it can push ahead with these projects. ”
