Rail investments tied to delivery of over 13,000 homes in Cork, Kildare, and Galway

State funding for new rail infrastructure is being tied directly to housing delivery across regional and urban transport corridors, Dáil Éireann has heard.

Responding to parliamentary questions on transport-orientated development (TOD), Darragh O'Brien confirmed that the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage recently allocated infrastructure funding to accelerate new railway stations at Blarney and Water Rock in County Cork, as well as west Maynooth in County Kildare. The station projects are intended to facilitate the delivery of more than 12,000 homes adjacent to the transport facilities.

In County Galway, a new platform and passing loop at Oranmore Station will provide access to frequent public transport for a proposed 1,000-unit residential scheme.

Procurement for MetroLink is scheduled to commence early next year. The rail line is projected to support approximately 77,000 homes along its route and more than 120,000 homes across the Greater Dublin Area.

Addressing alignment between planning and delivery, O'Brien noted that a joint TOD working group between the Department of Transport and the Department of Housing informed revisions to the National Planning Framework, specifically embedding the approach within planning objectives 10, 97, and 99. The National Transport Authority (NTA) aligns its strategies with local authority zoning and statutory housing targets.

Deputy Tony McCormack cautioned that misaligned timelines between local authority zoning and transport works risk holding up housing delivery, urging accelerated assessment and funding decisions for infrastructure projects that unlock substantial residential development.