The Government’s transport budget for 2026 will not be enough for any new services, senior Department of Transport officials privately warned.
Records released under the Freedom of Information Act show that on the day of Budget 2026 in October, the department’s management board met and noted its €4.74 billion allocation.
“The allocation, while substantial, will not allow for new services to be delivered,” minutes of the meeting show. However, it noted the amount “will allow for continued investment on major projects”.
Officials nonetheless believed the department secured a “better position” on the Public Services Obligation (PSO) – which contracts and provides funding for public transport services around the State – with €940 million earmarked for 2026, an increase of more than 40 per cent.
The Opposition rounded on the Government in light of the information. Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman said the document was “confirmation” that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have not provided the funding for new public transport services.
“While the figures for 2026 look big, they are just about funding existing services,” he said. “There isn’t enough in the Department of Transport’s allocation for the roll-out of new services, promised in various glossy documents published by the Government, which would make a real difference in people’s lives.”
The Dublin West TD accused the Government of having an “ideological problem” with public transport.
A spokesman for the Department of Transport said its 2026 budget allocation “prioritises the advancement of ongoing programmes and commitments in line with operational readiness and resource availability”, citing the BusConnects F-Spine in Dublin and new town services planned for Mullingar in 2026.
He said the department must ensure that submissions made as part of the budget are within financial and governance parameters set by the exchequer, “recognising that available resources are finite, and not all projects can be funded”.
The department continues to engage with the National Transport Authority (NTA) as it finalises its 2026 service plan, the spokesman said.
An NTA spokesman said it is still in discussions with the department about the plan for new services, “in line with funding allocations, [and] operational and resource availability”.
The previous government, of which the Green Party was a part, had a 2:1 ratio of public transport funding over roads investment. However, an explicit commitment to such a split was abandoned in the programme setting out aims for the new Government’s five-year term.
Allocations made under the National Development Plan, which covers the period from 2026 to 2030, earmark €10.1 billion for public transport projects and €9.7 billion for the road network and road safety.
A separate note released under Freedom of Information laws shows the Department of Transport’s management board met in October as it was preparing its sectoral programme for spending under the National Development Plan.
The management board noted the department will “continue to progress key projects, but that there will be impacts in some areas due to funding”.
The note also outlined that transport has a “significant role” in supporting population growth and density and has “positive impacts” on “implementing cross-government objectives such as housing and access to water”.
The National Development Plan allocated funding for several Dublin public transport projects, including the Luas extension to Finglas, the Dart+ expansion programme and BusConnects. BusConnects projects are also being funded in Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford over the 2026-2030 term.
There are also plans to progress the long-awaited Navan rail line through planning during the period.