The head of one of Ireland’s largest home builders has called on the Government to “immediately” fund the Dart+ South West electrification project, saying too many transport projects that are key to housing delivery are “stuck on the rank”.Cairn Homes chief executive Michael Stanley called for politicians to prioritise key transport projects, saying the deliver of such infrastructure is “intrinsically linked” to meeting Ireland’s “ambitious” housing targets. In prepared submissions to the Oireachtas housing committee, Stanley said analysis by Cairn found delivery of the Dart+ South West could open the door to delivering 65,300 new homes around planned and existing rail stations.The €1 billion project involves extending Dart services from Heuston in Dublin city centre to Hazelhatch and Celbridge in Co Kildare. Train capacity along the existing line would jump from 12 to 23 per hour each way, while passenger capacity at peak times would quadruple to 20,000 per hour each direction. Permission was granted for Dart+ South West in late 2024, and works were originally expected to begin in 2025. However, a National Development Plan review published last November gave a construction date of “2030+”.[ Dart+ South West: How long more must we wait for it and how much has it cost so far?Opens in new window ]Stanley said delays to “enabling infrastructure” create a “considerable barrier” to housing progress.“Cairn is consistent in our belief that Ireland’s housing challenge can only be met from scaled apartment delivery in our towns and cities, and particularly on transit-oriented developments,” he said. A range of public transport options is often required when planning new scaled apartments, while major public transport systems are only viable if population density is sufficient to support them, he said.Stanley applauded “significant progress” being made at all stages of the housing delivery pipeline. Recent improvements in housing policy, increased funding and more supportive public sentiment have resulted in a rise in delivery, he added.‘No profit and crap governance’ – is Elon Musk’s SpaceX actually worth $1.75 trillion? Listen | 41:54In a submissions to the committee, Glenveagh Homes said fundamental challenges will “significantly constrain” housing construction if left unresolved. There continues to be “significant” variation in planning requirements, interpretations and timelines across local authorities. “This uncertainty increases costs, undermines viability and ultimately prevents the delivery of homes,” the firm said.“Substantive progress” has been made via Government policy measures and funding commitments, but the “greatest risk facing housing delivery” is the gap that could emerge between policy intent and implementation on the ground, it said.[ Construction inflation almost wipes out Government’s VAT cut boost for apartment buildersOpens in new window ]Meanwhile, the Construction Industry Federation of Ireland’s director of housing and planning, Conor O’Connell, said Ireland’s housing shortfall is down to an “ecosystem of barriers across planning, cost, infrastructure and policy”. He commended “many positive policy interventions” in recent years that he said “significantly contributed” to increased housing supply last year and the “positive momentum” in 2026.He told the committee that the process of amending local authority development plans, which set out objectives for sites within a council area, is “often too slow and inconsistent to respond to urgent housing need”. This means land that is suitable for residential units is not always efficiently zoned as such, creating short and medium-term delivery risks, he said. Local authorities have been directed by the Minister for Housing to zone more sites for housing, but O’Connell said many councils have not made expansive enough changes or accounted for some locations that could provide timely delivery of housing.The construction industry representatives are due to appear before the Oireachtas Housing Committee on Tuesday to discuss ways to unlock barriers to housing delivery.