Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Prior to my contribution, all my colleagues have said that the only way to get people out of cars and onto public transport is if it is faster. Usually, it just needs to be faster and not even cheaper. The quickest train from Wexford takes two hours and seven minutes. I live 30 miles from Wexford and can make it from my house to Dublin, via Wexford, in two hours. Most of the work the witnesses do is desktop work and it is a fierce waste of public money. Mr. Creegan said to me yesterday that people would be delighted. I have traversed my constituency for months, to the north, south, east and west of Wexford - it is 90 km from north to south - and I have not met anybody who thinks this is a good proposal. I said to Mr. Creegan that I have met several people who want a high-speed rail network. We had a conversation about Irish Rail and the existing rail network that runs along our coastline. Not all of the Wexford coastline is serviced by a rail line but for the predominant bit of it we need, it will cost €200 million to keep coastal erosion at bay. That is not to future-proof services, it is just to keep erosion at bay. How is it that we would be considering anything on that rail line? Why are we not considering building new electrified rail lines alongside the motorway that will soon run non-stop from Rosslare to Belfast?

We are spending dead money to run diesel engine trains. There is no vision. The NTA said it would take 20 years. We have to start somewhere. I have been proposing this for four years. We would be down to 16 years if my proposal had been taken up. Instead, we are spending money. Eventually, we will do what I am saying anyway. Every country in Europe except Ireland seems to be doing it. There is a lot to be said for asking questions about the position with regard to how public transport proposals are put forward. They are certainly not put forward on the basis of speed. It is not a service if it is not based on speed.