As the Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operation and provision of public transport services.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling and timetabling of these services in conjunction with the relevant transport operators. As such, the issue of the metropolitan rail network proposed for Cork and the resulting frequency changes is an operational matter for the National Transport Authority (NTA) in conjunction with Iarnród Éireann, and I have therefore forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.