Mr. Barry Aughey:

Members should be able to see the PowerPoint presentation on their screens.

Believe that a further shore

Is reachable from here

That is a quotation from a Seamus Heaney poem, who of course was from Derry. I will address the concept of the proposal. It concerns a high-speed rail linking the north-west urban centres, in particular Letterkenny, Derry, Monaghan and Omagh, to the Dublin city region. In the case of Monaghan, it covers Cavan-Monaghan, and in the case of Omagh, it is the Enniskillen-Omagh-Fermanagh area. They are the three urban centres I mentioned that have an opportunity to grow. The corridor will bring rail connectivity to three counties on the island. Currently, five counties have no rail infrastructure and this will bring it to three of them.

On spatial strategy, there is an all-island approach of two jurisdictions with greater connectivity, social inclusion, a shared economy and sustainable population growth. As I said, there is currently no rail infrastructure to the north west. It has been considered by the European Union to be a marginalised part of Europe and this will be enhanced post Brexit. The proposed infrastructure will help create a shared economy.

The next slide shows three maps demonstrating the current infrastructure. I am not sure how well members can see them but the first map depicts the rail infrastructure in 1920, while the second depicts the existing rail infrastructure. In the latter, the entire north-west region has no rail infrastructure. The third map shows the current motorway network. Members will see that the north west has been lacking investment.

The following slide shows the route of the corridor, from Dublin to Letterkenny-Derry. The high-speed rail we propose will travel at 350 km/h on average, while the estimated travel time, non-stop direct from Dublin to Letterkenny, will amount to 46 minutes. Currently, it takes 180 minutes by car. We would like to have the ability to connect into the metro terminal at Dublin Airport because it would enable commuters to use it, given that this will be for more than just tourism. It is really for commuters, who will be able to integrate into the Dublin city region and avail of job opportunities that may lie within.

On the Letterkenny-Derry terminal, what is most significant is that at a meeting in February 2018 between the CEOs of the two local authorities, Mr. Seamus Neely and Mr. John Kelpie, it was agreed that instead of having one station or terminal in Letterkenny and another in Derry, one station would serve both urban centres. They agreed on a location close to Newtown Cunningham, a midpoint between the two urban centres. It was suggested a bus corridor would serve both urban centres direct to the train station. As such, the target area is the Derry-Letterkenny-Strabane region, which has a population of about 200,000.

The distance of the corridor is just under 200 km as the crow flies. Inevitably, however, it will not be able to travel as the crow flies, so it is estimated that it will end being about 230 km.

This is an image of the map. What is most significant about this is that high-speed rail requires a straight line. The straighter the line, the faster it can go. High-speed rail can deal with climbs and valleys - up and down movement - but it cannot accommodate turning left or right or curves well. When these are introduced, speeds are greatly reduced. It is important that the line is constructed as straight as possible to achieve maximum speed and maintain safety.

I will address some of the benefits. One of the significant points about high-speed rail is it is the safest form of transport. It is very reliable and safe. It will also reduce carbon emissions, help with cleaner air as it has fewer emissions due to diesel and bring about less stress for workers travelling to the office, be it from Dublin to the regions or the regions to Dublin. Not having to deal with traffic and congestion will mean they are much more productive employees. It will also expand the pool of labour available to companies in the greater Dublin region. Likewise, it will enable people within the greater Dublin region to commute to work within the regions. Urban sprawl would be reduced. Migration is a concern in the north-west region. It will create access to talent and competitive labour. It will mean that young people can remain in their local communities while working in jobs they desire. It will bring life back into our towns and villages.

By and large, that is the proposal. There are a few more slides but, in general, I think members get the point. I am open to questions.