Census figures show the importance of Metro North & DART Extension projects – Farrell

Census figures show the importance of the Metro North and DART extension projects, a Fine Gael TD has said.

Dublin Fingal TD, Alan Farrell, said: “The ‘Census 2016: Commuting in Ireland’ figures published today have highlighted the importance of on-going investment in our public transport system, particularly as our unemployment rate continues to fall, and the number of people at work increases.

“Census 2016 has identified that 49.4% of commuters living and working in Dublin city and county travel by car. In comparison with this, 21.2% travel to work on public transport, 12.3% walked, and 6.9% cycled to work.

“While the proportion of commuters in Dublin travelling by car is below the national figure of 65.6%, I believe it signals that further initiatives to encourage people to take alternative means of transport in our capital city and its surrounds are essential.

“Taking cars off the main routes into our city is of the utmost importance to prevent backlogs on our roads, and those working in the city being faced with increasingly long travel times.

“This is just one reason why the delivery of new transport infrastructure like Metro North is essential for both the local communities it serves, and our capital city in its entirety.

“While I understand that the delivery of Metro North had to originally be postponed due to the economic crisis our country faced, I am delighted that the Metro North project was given the green light by Government in 2015.

“The delivery of a rail link between Dublin Airport, Swords and the city centre is vital in order to facilitate a reduction in vehicles on the roads in and out of Dublin. Metro North is on-track to become operational by 2026/27.

“Communities like Swords are thriving and growing exponentially, highlighting that the delivery of new transport infrastructure cannot be faced with any delays in the years ahead.

“Likewise, DART extension, which is on-track to be delivered by 2022 to serve the communities of Donabate, Rush & Lusk, Skerries, and Balbriggan, is essential in terms of enhancing our public transport system and providing commuters with a real alternative to their cars.

“I would urge Minister Ross to take all action possible to ensure the Metro North and DART Extension projects are delivered in the most expedient manner possible.”

ENDS