In Ireland, public transport has over the past 50 years tended to take something of a back seat in the national consciousness. In the 1960s, we started ripping up the branch lines and rural lines of the national rail network, confident that road transport was the coming thing (in fairness, we were not alone in that assumption – check out the history of the London Ringways for more …). Then we generally failed, until the late 1990s and early 2000s, to build the roads to cope with the increases in vehicle traffic. Simultaneously, major public transport projects tended to become both bloated and incomplete, with Luas and the various plans to extend Dart services emblematic of those issues.
Now, with Dublin’s metro project finally, allegedly, hopefully gathering some kind of steam, we as a nation are being served notice that our public transport network, or lack thereof in many respects, is going to start harming our competitiveness and attractiveness as an investment destination. Given that so much of Ireland’s economy relies on foreign direct investment, that’s a warning we should probably take notice of.
The warning comes from the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland. The organisation’s chief executive, Paul Sweetman, told The Irish Times: “Transport infrastructure plays a vital role in providing the capacity for future business and population growth. In a recent American Chamber survey, 100 per cent of respondents said the further enhancement of Ireland’s public transport infrastructure is important to supporting their business operations. Further, the American Chamber members ranked public infrastructure constraints as the second-biggest risk to continued FDI in Ireland over the next five years, and transport infrastructure forms an integral part of this.
“The announcement of €2 billion to progress the MetroLink in Budget 2026, alongside a commitment to continue the roll-out of Dart+, Bus Connect programmes and the Cork Area Commuter Rail, reflect key American Chamber advocacy asks. These projects will be important to bridging gaps in national and regional transport infrastructure and advancing balanced air connectivity.”
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As Sweetman notes, we’re an island nation, with a huge reliance on air transport for our connectivity to the rest of the world, so the American Chamber is looking with concern at the likes of Dublin Airport’s passenger cap, and in the same survey which raised such significant concerns in relation to transport infrastructure, 96 per cent of those responding said that: “Reaching full capacity at Ireland’s airports and ports would be a concern for continued growth and investment in Ireland.”
To such concerns, a spokesperson for the Department of Transport told The Irish Times: “The Irish Government recognises the strategic importance of Dublin Airport as our primary international gateway and the contribution it makes to our economy. As such, the programme for government includes a clear commitment to working with stakeholders to achieve the objective of lifting the passenger cap at Dublin Airport as soon as possible. In this regard, the Minister for Transport recently secured Government support to pursue a legislative course of action to address the passenger cap, and work has commenced on the preparation of that legislation.”
The spokesperson also said that the National Development Plan (NDP) and the investments it promises in public transport will “play a key role in supporting Ireland’s economic competitiveness both now and into the future”.
They added: “In recognition of the importance of advancing projects in the transport sector of the €102.4 billion allocated across Government under the NDP Review, €22.3 billion has been allocated to the Department of Transport, in addition to the €2 billion to advance MetroLink under the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund.”
Meanwhile, the NDP also promises €500 million for new and improved major roads, and €713 million for improvements to the secondary road network. To ensure that the cars and vehicles using those roads are as environmentally sensitive as possible, the department also points out that “Ireland is fully committed to supporting the transition to zero emission transport and our CAP [Climate Action Plan] target of 30 per cent of private car fleet switched to electric by 2030, a target that will require not just maintaining, but accelerating the momentum of recent years.”
Will all of that be enough to meet the concerns of the American Chamber? Possibly, but as Sweetman points out, it’s the delivery, not the promise, that will be critical.
“There are now more than 970 US operations in Ireland, directly employing more than 245,000 people,” he said. “Transport connections impact Ireland’s ability to attract and retain talent. Connectivity is essential in supporting people as they travel to and from work, school and university. In enhancing Ireland’s transport infrastructure, American Chamber members said that investment in national road infrastructure should be the number one priority for Government, followed by the enhancement of regional public transport.
“The funding allocated to the Department of Transport in Budget 2026 will be vital to progressing future transport infrastructure projects to support Ireland’s talented workforce and enable balanced regional development. A continued focus on advancing balanced air connectivity, supporting the development of public transport and improving road infrastructure across Ireland will be critical to enhancing Ireland’s competitiveness as a destination for FDI.”
