Mr. Jim Meade:

The rail review document we compiled with NTA support tried to identify the issues the Chairman has mentioned. It identified the €103 million and put all of these issues on the table for a proper debate. To achieve what the Chairman has said, we need to take a look at planning, with regard to where we are planning our centres as mentioned in our statement, whether we are planning where railways can and should be built, and whether we are planning for line extension and improvement, improving line speeds and improving city based services in regional areas such as Cork, Limerick, Galway or Waterford. We have to plan. Rail infrastructure is not short-term infrastructure but has a lifespan of more than 50 years.

We must engage in long-term planning and long-term investment. If we do not do that correctly, it will be very hard to achieve what is required.