Budget 2024 sets out€1.9 billion for green, cleaner travel options such as public transport, walking, cycling and carbon reduction programmes to help support a shift away from car use where possible.
This investment will create a more connected, greener and cleaner transport network for all.
In 2023, public transport fares were cut by 20% for all and by 50% for Young Adults:
Find out about the latest public transport ticketing journeys and plan your journey:
The Cycle to Work scheme aims to encourage you to cycle to and from work. Under the scheme, your employer can buy a bicycle and safety equipment for you.
Cargo bikes and e-bikes are included as part of the scheme.
Bike rental schemes are a great way of getting around our cities. Bike stations are located at various locations throughout the cities to provide a sustainable and convenient means of transport:
Several private companies also offer shared bike services in different parts of the country, including both push bikes and e-bikes.
Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI) is the dedicated office within the Department of Transport to support consumers, the public sector, and businesses to continue to make the switch to zero emission vehicles.
We are improving bus services across Ireland. This year alone, we are connecting 67 towns and villages, providing 98,000 kilometres of services weekly to rural Ireland through our Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan.
In 2022, the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Programme:
BusConnects will be delivered in all of Ireland’s five cities by the end of the decade. This programme will significantly enhance the quality of public transport in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford and also include the parallel development of high-quality cycle lanes.
BusConnects includes eight initiatives:
For more on BusConnects initiatives in each city:
421 electric buses are due to enter service across the country during the next 24 months, providing a quieter and cleaner service and a more pleasant journey for passengers.
To assist the planned expansion of rail services and to cater for growing demand, two major fleet orders are being progressed which will support the commuter and intercity network and the expansion of the DART under the DART+ Programme. 41 new intercity carriages will enter service from December 2023 onwards. In addition, 185 new electric and battery-electric DART+ carriages are on order as part of the DART+ programme.
The DART+ Programme will revolutionise travel in the Greater Dublin Area. It will see the DART network treble in size from its current 50km, bringing frequent commuter services and all its benefits to new and existing communities as far as Drogheda, Maynooth/M3 Parkway and Hazelhatch.
The Cork Area Commuter Rail programme is a transformative improvement programme for the Cork Rail Network. It will ultimately deliver increased train capacity and frequency, new stations and low-emission trains, providing more connected communities and a more sustainable transport network.
Phase 1 of the works is already underway with the support of EU Recovery and Resilience Facility funding and will see the redevelopment of Kent Station, double-tracking between Glounthane and Midleton, and network-wide resignalling delivered by the end of 2026.
The Cork Line Level Crossings Project will identify the best approach to removing/upgrading seven level crossings located along the main Cork to Dublin line. These level crossings are being upgraded/removed to provide a safer environment for those living near the rail line and a more efficient service for all rail passengers.
Works underway to enhance rail services in our other major cities include:
The 42km stretch of railway between Limerick and Shannon Foynes originally opened in 1858 but has been inactive since 2001. In late 2022, rehabilitation works commenced on the line with a view to it reopening for regular freight services in the coming years, possibly as soon as 2025.
As the frequency and capacity of the rail system continues to expand in the coming years, the new National Train Control Centre (NTCC) will support the improved management and regulation of train movements from one central location. The centre will also provide real-time customer information at stations at www.irishrail.ie and on social media platforms.
The Department of Transport (Ireland) and the Department for Infrastructure (Northern Ireland) have published a joint draft report of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review putting communities across the island on track for a new age of rail.
It is the first All-Island Rail Review, setting out 30 recommendations for developing a rail network that would significantly benefit commuters, communities, businesses, the environment and economies of both Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The review has been published alongside the associated Strategic Environmental Assessment, and are being finalised following a the public consultation in 2023.
Every day of 2023, €1 million is being spent on walking and cycling infrastructure, with a view to creating safe routes and sustainable connections to cities, towns and villages all over Ireland. This includes €60 million for Greenways per annum.
Since 2020, we’ve delivered hundreds of kilometres of new and improved walking and cycling infrastructure across the country. By 2025, we will have delivered around 1,000 km in total.
CycleConnects: Ireland’s Cycle Network aims to improve sustainable travel by providing the potential for more trips on a safe, accessible and convenient cycle network, connecting more people to more places within our towns and cities.
The public consultation on CycleConnects is now complete and further information on the proposal and submissions is available.
The National Cycle Network (NCN) will inform the establishment of a coordinated network that brings existing and proposed cycle routes together, linking urban centres across the country.
The National Cycle Network Plan (NCN) plan was published in January 2024. The plan sets out a network of 3.500km of safe, high quality cycle route4s which will link over 200 cities, towns, and villages across the country.
The NCN will be implemented on a phased basis, with approximately 1,000km of the network to be delivered by the end of 2030.
The Cycle Right Programme is designed to give school children the skills to confidently and safely cycle using both the cycling infrastructure and the road network. Over 115,000 children have completed this programme since it started in 2017.
There are 350km of Greenways in Ireland, funded by the Department of Transport. This year, €72 million has been allocated to Transport Infrastructure Ireland and local authorities nationwide to develop new Greenway projects.
It is anticipated that 65km of Greenway will be delivered in 2024, connecting towns and communities and allowing walking and cycling to be a viable transport option.
Greenways are routes which exceed 20km in length, although shorter distances may be funded to link existing Greenways to longer, more strategic routes.
Find out more about Greenways in Ireland:
The Safe Routes to School programme is designed to encourage as many pupils and students as possible in primary and secondary schools to walk and cycle. The programme aims to deliver safe walking, scooting and cycling infrastructure on key routes to schools, provide front of school treatments and provide bike parking.
There are now 275 schools in the programme at various levels of delivery.
Hear from children in Limerick and Dublin about how Safe Routes to School has benefitted their school:
The Pathfinder Programme consists of 35 transformative transport projects which will be delivered by 2025.
Local authorities and agencies around the country will deliver these public transport, walking and cycling projects over the next three years.
Taken together, the selected pathfinder projects will begin to transform how we move, work and live across the country. In addition to showcasing the appetite for change which exists throughout the country, the programme closely aligns with evidence-based practice for reducing emissions from transport through systemic change. The projects be split into six categories: