Mr. Jim Meade:

I fully take on board the Senator's comment on Waterford being a city. In rail terminology we think of the radial routes. Westport is not on a secondary route; it is off the Galway route. That is the layout. I am glad that the Senator mentioned the Plunkett Station development which we see as very exciting. We are very involved in and supportive of it. We have recently done some major work in Kilkenny in resignalling. It is on the Waterford line. We treat all lines equally and want to continue to grow services and achieve journey time improvements on all routes. There is no question of Waterford not being on a par with other cities. It absolutely is.

Rosslare Europort is under our direct control, whereas Waterford Port is not. Our general manager responsible for freight is in constant communication with Waterford Port and, with Brexit on the horizon, considering how the two ports can contribute in the long term. It is on our agenda with our commercial people and freight manager.

We have a protocol for greenways and are actively engaging with any group that wants to discuss or consider the provision of greenways because they are a way of protecting our alignment and protecting us from encroachment or adverse possession which we have had going back decades. Reference was made recently in a different conversation, outside this building, to the Harcourt Street line having been in State ownership and going out of it and how it had taken a lot of work to bring it back into it. We recognise that mistake from the past and will not be relinquishing ownership of any route. They will all be protected and if greenways are the way to protect them, that is what we will do. If in time there is a business case to go back to providing rail services, we will be building this into the greenway licence.