Mr. Jim Meade:

On the pricing of tickets, absolutely. The closer it comes to the time to walk up and go on a train, it costs more, the same as the airline industry pre-Covid. However, prebooking online is very efficient for tickets. The pricing structure is set by the NTA but we offer very competitive prices when a person books in advance and online for his or her tickets. If a person arrives half an hour before the train departure time to buy a ticket, it is more expensive. The structure on pricing is to encourage prebooking in order that we know our load demands well in advance.

Regarding the Shannon rail spur, Iarnród Éireann did an exercise in 2007, to which we referred earlier. It is part of the process under the LSMATS currently. We have made a fairly detailed submission to the NTA on what we see as viable options under that consultation process, which is currently under way.

Certainly, the report that EY delivered, which I mentioned earlier as regards the WRC and which was discussed and reviewed by JASPERS, dealt with the terms of reference under which that report was delivered. We also noted that the Minister has proposed an all-Ireland strategic rail review. In that context, there may be a second review looking at the western rail corridor in the all-Ireland context to see if there is a viable option for it at that point.

Crusheen station is part of the responsibility of the transport strategy of Clare County Council as the local authority. Iarnród Éireann would, however, support the development of a station there once the business plan from the county requires it. The funding is in place. We would be happy to build it should that happen.

Regarding the Deputy's comments around Thomondgate and Moyross, part of what we have proposed in our submission to the LSMATS is for stations there, perhaps at the parkway at Moyross or park-and -rides, as the Deputy outlined, on the new ring road or outside it, somewhere like Cratloe, where one could have a park-and-ride and increased frequency then on that line. It would, therefore, create a commuter line around Limerick, which is part of the overall ambitions of the Minister and of Limerick as a whole.

Broadly, we support greenways. Anywhere we have disused lines or where there are no short-term plans to have a live railway on it, we work with the relevant local authorities and we will give them licence to use our lands for a greenway. It is built into every greenway agreement we make that if there is a requirement for transport or to put rail back on it, we can take back the right of way again.

We can put public transport back on that right of way but support them in the main.

On the issue of the car park at Sixmilebridge, I remind the Deputy that we do not own or lease that car park. It is a county council car park so it has almost nothing to do with us. I am aware the county council is dealing with it. We have been in contact with it and with the local gardaí from a safety perspective in terms of having people and young children so close to the line but it is an issue for the county council. We neither have ownership of nor licence for the area.