Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My questions are specific and are aimed at Mr. Cunningham and Mr. Grogan. They may or may not be able to answer them today, but perhaps they could come back to me. I come from a county that has three motorways going through it. We are very close to Dublin and in close proximity to the M50 and the airport, yet we have only one passenger train, which goes as far as Dunboyne in County Meath. It is struggling at the moment, from what I can see. I was out there early in the morning only recently and the passengers were few and far between. Do Mr. Cunningham and Mr. Grogan see it as a viable route in the future? Are there they doing anything or are there any plans to try to increase the number of passengers using that route?

My focus is more on the disused railway line from Navan to Kingscourt. We have a very ambitious and viable project, which is at an advanced stage - the Boyne Valley to Lakelands County greenway. A colleague of mine, Councillor Eugene Cassidy, has been spearheading that project with Meath County Council. I know he has met with colleagues of Mr. Cunningham and Mr. Grogan and an agreement has been reached for plans to lease the railway line to Meath County Council. My question is, when the tracks are being lifted and the sleepers and steel are being disposed of, is there a possibility that some of that finance might or could be put into the greenway? Any assistance or help in supporting those lines is always welcome. I know it cost €150,000 in 2014 just to clean the track and secure the fencing. While it might not be something that Mr. Cunningham and Mr. Grogan were thinking of, it might be something they would consider.