Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will probably not need that much time because my colleagues from the Clare and mid-west region have covered many of the issues. I thank our guests for their presentation and their ongoing work, which is much appreciated. The concept of the Shannon Airport spur has been around for a considerable period. In my view, the strength of that offering will be the speed at which a train can get from Dublin to Shannon, not just to Limerick. Our guests might outline their expectations for that service offering. If it is just a commuter train between Limerick and Shannon, while that might help from the point of view of carbon reduction in the region, it is not going to benefit the airport and the wider economic activity in the region. What we really need from the perspective of balanced regional development is a development that makes it easy for people to get from the east coast to the west coast, from the city with the largest population to a city such as Limerick. There are many good plans that enhance the commuter service in the Limerick metropolitan transport initiative, which is good. However, unless we can show high-speed access from Limerick to Shannon Airport, we are not going to gain the opportunity that we otherwise might. Perhaps our guests will talk a little about that.