Kildare's DART+ South West has "come off the rails" - Kildare North TD

A Fine Gael TD for Kildare North has raised the postponement of DART+ South West in the Dáil, telling the House the project appears to have “come off the rails.”

As Deputy Joe Neville pointed out, the DART+ South West project has now been postponed until 2030, despite major traffic problems experienced in Kildare.

Addressing An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, Deputy Neville said this week: “Today I welcome our new infrastructure plan, which will shape the future of Ireland. Our many goals include fast-tracking planning for critical projects and reforming judicial reviews to stop endless delays.

“I want to highlight one project that has not been subject to a judicial review but seems to have come off the rails and has been delayed now for four years. The DART+ South West project seems to have been put out until 2030.

“Today we heard that the M50 is officially full and this would have taken the pressure off. This project will be a game changer for the areas of north Kildare and west Dublin. Considering the growth of population and the proposed growth of these areas, we need to ensure this rail project gets back on track.”

READ NEXT: Special flag to be flown at public buildings in Kildare this week

Deputy Neville told the Taoiseach that areas such as west Dublin and north Kildare “have not been found wanting” in terms of housing development, but critical infrastructure was needed to go along with this.

He asked the Taoiseach to raise the issue with the Minister for Transport and ensure the timetable for 2030 is brought back to 2026, “as it was before.”

The Taoiseach replied: “I thank the Deputy. I am very conscious of this issue. He has been advocating, as has Deputy Shane Moynihan who has been hotfoot onto me in respect of the timelines for this. DART+ South West is part of the broader DART programme.

“I will speak to the Minister. Permission was granted in November of last year. All of the benefits are there in terms of increasing capacity. We will work with the Minister to see whether there is flexibility in terms of how projects are delivered.

“There is huge investment in public transport as a result of the national development plan and the sectoral plan published by the Minister. The issue is whether we can get it all delivered as quickly as we possibly can. I understand and accept Deputy Neville's concerns in respect of this.”