Government launches plans for transforming Ireland’s transport system over the next 5 years
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From: Department of Transport
- Published on: 4 March 2026
- Last updated on: 4 March 2026
Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien and Minister of State Seán Canney today announced two new transformative plans for transport, Moving Together and the Sustainable Mobility Policy (SMP) Action Plan. Together, they represent the multi-faceted approach being taken by Government to future-proof Ireland’s transport system. The plans complement each other to optimise conditions for daily travel with expected benefits for all.
The ‘Moving Together’ strategy and its Implementation Plan encourage greater collaboration across Government and society to collectively tackle difficult issues like congestion and transport-related air pollution in urban areas, while also contributing to wider climate objectives. Opportunities to switch to more efficient journeys will be encouraged by Moving Together but also supported through the increased availability of alternative travel options as provided for in the SMP Action Plan.
“The Sustainable Mobility Policy Action Plan supports the delivery of over 40 transport-related commitments in the Programme for Government. This includes major public transport projects such as MetroLink, BusConnects, DART+, and Cork Commuter Rail, as well as ongoing investment in active travel infrastructure and the Safe Routes to School programme, the development of Park and Ride facilities, measures to increase taxi provision and investment in improving transport accessibility. By investing in new and innovative transport solutions like shared mobility, Bike Libraries and Smart Demand Responsive Transport, the Plan reflects the Government’s commitment to transforming Ireland’s transport system.
”Aligned to the SMP Action Plan, the Moving Together strategy allows for a systematic review of that system, working across Government and society to explore and champion further ways of addressing the problem of congestion and its negative impacts such as air pollution, environmental damage and economic constraints.”
”People need to travel for many reasons - work, education, health, leisure – and the Government recognises that sustainable options are not always available, especially in more rural or remote areas. Our transport network must also be efficient to support the transportation of goods. Equally, our urban centres and streets must meet the needs of business and retail, must ensure that urban residents are protected from the impacts of congestion and pollution and must be fully accessible to vulnerable road users and the disabled community. Finding solutions that work for all is important, and this new Strategy seeks to do this in a balanced way, by ‘moving together’ on key issues and future proofing our system for generations to come’”
Minister for Transport, Darragh O'Brien
“The Moving Together strategy and the new SMP Action Plan, combined, take a comprehensive and practical approach to addressing the challenges that many people face in accessing sustainable transport, particularly those in rural areas. The Action Plan incorporates concrete actions to improve sustainable mobility options and regional connectivity across the country, through the completion of the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan, the provision of more town bus services and increased walking and cycling routes connecting towns and villages. In addition, I’m delighted that BusConnects Galway will be progressed, alongside the reinstatement of the Western Rail Corridor between Athenry and Claremorris and the completion of station upgrades in Ceannt Station and Oranmore.
Minister of State with responsibility for International and Road Transport, Logistics, Rail and Ports, Seán Canney
National Sustainable Mobility Policy Action Plan 2026-2030
The Sustainable Mobility Action Plan 2026-2030 has been developed under the National Sustainable Mobility Policy, which was first published in 2022. This second Action Plan outlines the steps Government is taking to widen the availability of travel options over the coming years.
The new Action Plan 2026-2030 builds on the momentum of the first plan. Reinforcing the commitments already established through the recent Transport Sectoral Investment Plan, it contains 95 actions to be delivered over the next five years, with clearly defined outputs and delivery timelines. As well as commitments on public transport, active travel and shared mobility, the Plan includes enabling actions related to research, citizen engagement, and capacity-building.
The SMP Action Plan was developed through close collaboration across government, agencies, and local authorities, and through input from stakeholders at last year’s National Sustainable Mobility Forum. The delivery of actions set out in the Plan will be monitored by the Sustainable Mobility Policy Leadership Group with progress reports published annually.
Moving Together: A Collaborative Approach to Systems Change in Transport (2026-2030)
A key aim of the Moving Together strategy is to reduce traffic congestion, given its challenging impacts on daily lives and on doing business. By improving efficiency, the transport system will work better for everyone and will make our public transport services more reliable and our roads safer for walking, wheeling and cycling. The Strategy provides for collaboration across Government on a range of options that can be taken at national, regional and local levels to achieve the necessary improvements.
Moving Together and the SMP Action Plan are central to the Government’s decarbonisation pathway for transport and will support the delivery of improved journeys across all modes, including cars. A complementary element of that approach is investment in Electric Vehicle (EV) infrastructure to support the transition to electric vehicles charging. Fulfilling another Programme for Government commitment last week, the Minister for Transport launched a public consultation on the draft of a new National EV Infrastructure Charging Strategy. Each of these initiatives - Moving Together, the new SMP Action Plan, and the EV Infrastructure Charging Strategy – represent one element of the Avoid-Shift-Improve approach to decarbonisation, but collectively they showcase the Government’s determination to build a transport system that is efficient, and responsive to the evolving needs of the country’s people and its businesses.
The Moving Together Strategy (including its Implementation Plan) is available here: Moving Together – A Collaborative Approach to Systems Change in Transport 2026–2030
The Sustainable Mobility Policy Action Plan is available here: National Sustainable Mobility Policy