Sinn Féin TD for Wicklow and Chair of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), John Brady, has hit out at the Minister for Transport and the National Transport Authority (NTA) following correspondence received by PAC confirming that the €11 million Fassaroe Park and Ride facility is substantially complete but cannot open because there is no provision in place for the required bus services.
Deputy Brady described the situation as an “absolute scandal” and “yet another example of Government failure to plan for the delivery of critical transport infrastructure”, after the NTA confirmed that no funding is currently available for the bus services required to operate the facility and that no date has been set for its opening.
Teachta Brady said:
“This facility cost taxpayers a staggering €11 million to build.
“388 parking spaces, 26 mobility‑impaired spaces, and 42 electric vehicle charging points – substantially completed in late 2025 and has been sitting idle for months.
“Now, you might assume that once you have spent €11 million building a Park and Ride facility, the next step would be to open it. Not according to the National Transport Authority.
“In correspondence to me, the NTA states: 'There is no funding available within the allocated budget for new or enhanced PSO services in 2026 and we are unable to confirm, at the present time, the date on which the park and ride facility at Fassaroe will be open for public use.'
“Think about that for a moment.
“An €11 million facility has been built, yet there is no funding available for the bus services needed to make it operational.
“The NTA cannot even tell us when it will open.
“But it gets worse.
“At the very same time, they are proceeding with procurement for contractors to operate and maintain this facility, despite the fact that it cannot be used by the public.
“And because it remains closed, taxpayers will also be footing the bill for an additional €50,000 in security costs to protect a facility that nobody can access.
“Additionally, there are delays with the planned 42 electric vehicle charging points, as a new electrical substation needs to be installed on site.
“You genuinely could not make it up.
“This is another example of a complete failure to plan properly. The people stuck in traffic on the N11 every day deserve better than infrastructure that is built but cannot be used.
“There are similarities to the situation surrounding the long-promised 199 Bray to Glendalough bus route that was taken through the procurement process, but has still not become operational due to a lack of funding.
“This also echoes of the 98 brand new electric buses currently in storage due to the lack of charging infrastructure, and again highlights this Minister’s complete inability for any kind of joined up thinking.
“How can €11 million be spent on a Park and Ride facility without ensuring the funding is in place to actually open it?
“The Minister and the NTA have effectively delivered a park and ride, with no ride.
“Time and again, we see delays, waste, cost overruns and a lack of joined-up thinking. This Government seems far too comfortable presiding over waste like this. It has to stop.
“The culture of spending first and asking questions later has to stop. There must be accountability when public money is squandered and when projects are left sitting idle.
“Taxpayers deserve answers. They deserve competence. And they deserve a Government that treats every euro of public money with the respect it deserves.
“Communities are being promised improvements that simply are not materialising.
“I will be raising this directly with the Minister for Transport and the National Transport Authority and demanding answers as to when this facility will open.
“Enough is enough.”
ENDS