Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I believe we need to develop Cork and Limerick as a counterbalance. That is for the sake of Dubliners as well as anyone else because given the price of property in my constituency it is very difficult for my children to have the prospect of growing up in the way I did in my city because it is so expensive. The entire economy is tipping over into the east coast. We will all benefit from having strong regional development, in particular in cities like Cork and Limerick because that is where investment and development will go, close to universities, cultural centres and so on.

I agree with Edgar Morgenroth that the real way to develop Cork and Limerick is to invest in them rather than necessarily putting all the money on the connection points between the two. I have seen so many different international transport conferences over the years say the same thing. It is by investing in the urban public realm, in particular in public transport infrastructure in the centre of existing historic cities that, increasingly, encourages international investment and other development to occur.

I agree with what you said, Chairman, about using existing assets. The likes of a twin-track line from Limerick Junction to Colbert Station in Limerick would be perfect. A railway station at Ballysimon is included in the first draft of the Limerick metropolitan area strategy. At the moment, it is largely warehousing and industrial estates, but close to the centre could be reconvened in the same way we are going to do in Dublin.