Mr. Jim Meade:

I thank the committee for the invitation to attend to provide it with an update on Iarnród Éireann’s activities, including our capital projects and operations. We are at a time of great ambition and optimism for our rail services and network, and for Rosslare Europort, for which Iarnród Éireann is the port authority. Projects for all our cities and for the national network will ensure rail is the backbone of Ireland’s sustainable transport network. The decade of delivery that we are working through will be genuinely transformative for the network.

Passenger demand for 2023 saw 46.1 million journeys made across the network, an increase of 29% on the 2022 total of 35.8 million. The pre-Covid record of over 50 million is in sight for this coming year. The intercity service is seeing a particularly strong recovery. We introduced new services on routes including Cork, Limerick, Westport-Ballina and Carlow in our recent December 2023 timetable change, as well as enhanced Portlaoise and Drogheda commuter services. In the short term, we will begin the introduction of 41 new intercity railcar carriages, which could not be more timely. We envisage further timetable improvements during 2024, particularly on the Galway and Belfast routes. As well as building our service capacity, we continue to build the customer experience. Our restructured train operations division brings a determined focus to ensuring we become a leader in Europe for customer care.

Our major rail investment programme, funded by the National Transport Authority, NTA, under Project Ireland 2040, will see significant, tangible progress in a range of projects during the year ahead. Our current planned fleet and network investment programme will exceed €1 billion during the life of the national development plan, NDP, and will bring us to a new era for rail transport in Ireland. As well as the intercity railcar carriages mentioned previously, the first of 185 DART+ carriages on order from Alstom will arrive in summer of 2024 to begin testing and commissioning ahead of entering service in 2025. These are battery-electric and so are a very sustainable fleet. This transformative fleet is central to the DART+ programme. The investment will allow more trains to operate on all routes on the rail network, provide greater standards of accessibility, and allow for the decarbonising of all greater Dublin area rail services. DART+ will double the capacity and treble the electrification of the greater Dublin rail network.

In our submission, we have included a table outlining the various programmes under DART+, with DART+ west being the first element. We are awaiting a railway order on that and believe it is imminent, with DART+ south west coming hot on its heels. We are just awaiting the railway order oral hearing, which is to be scheduled by An Bord Pleanála, and the others will follow suit.

At the bottom of the table, there is the DART+ fleet, which, as I said, the first carriages of which will arrive at the end of quarter 2.

We are also progressing, with our partners Translink and Northern Ireland Railways, a tender for a new Enterprise fleet to ensure a sustainably powered hourly service on the Dublin to Belfast route. We are liaising with the Department of Transport and the Special EU Programmes Body, SEUPB, on funding and timelines for this project.

Turning to our regional cities, I will start with Cork. All projects in the Cork area commuter rail programme are under way under the EU-funded recovery and resilience plan, allowing Iarnród Éireann to treble the Cork commuter rail network’s capacity through three enabling projects on the infrastructure side. First is double-tracking Glounthaune to Midleton. The railway order was granted before Christmas and works have commenced. Second, we are developing a new platform at Kent Station that would allow through-running for Mallow to Cobh-Midleton. Third, we are resignalling the Cork commuter network, for which the contract has been signed and work commenced. That whole project is on target for delivery in 2026.

In Galway, funding under the urban regeneration development fund, URDF, includes investment of just under €10 million for a second platform and passing loop at the existing Oranmore train station. This will allow the busy commuter link between Athenry and Galway to grow. A planning application is currently in the pipeline for early this year. In addition, Ceannt Station will be regenerated as part of a major Galway City Council transport connectivity project. We recently awarded the contract. Physical works began earlier this month, which will deliver a transformative five-platform station at the heart of an integrated transport hub, catering for all future service growth.

In Limerick, the completion of the city’s own transport hub centred at Colbert Station will boost services, and the Limerick Shannon metropolitan area transport strategy has detailed the opportunities provided by the network of rail lines around Limerick city. Station studies are under way for both Moyross and Ballysimon stations, and a capacity enhancement study for Limerick to Limerick Junction and Limerick to Ennis is also under way.

Waterford’s Plunkett Station is being relocated to be part of an integrated transport hub under the Waterford North Quays, and these works are also under way.

As one arrives and departs Heuston Station, one will see our new national train control centre, NTCC. Its construction was completed in late 2022 and is co-located with An Garda Síochána facilities opened in 2023. The Garda moved from the Harcourt Street site. It will control the entire national network, incorporating a new rail traffic management system called TMS and enhance train performance, punctuality and customer information across the network. It will be fully operational by autumn 2025. We had targeted the end of 2024 for completion but the impacts of Covid-19 and the Ukraine conflict affected construction and TMS development timelines. However, we are working with the NTA as the approving authority and applying rigorous project oversight to ensure that we can, as planned, migrate from our existing central traffic control, CTC, facility at Connolly Station on a phased basis to mid-2025, gradually transferring all our railway controls operations from Connolly to Heuston for full operation.

We are ambitious for our rail freight services to become a key part of Ireland’s freight sector. Our Rail Freight 2040 Strategy sets out a clear path to make this happen. The strategy aims to achieve a fivefold increase in the number of freight services, to include more than 100 new weekly services across the network; a resulting reduction of 25,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually, with rail freight emissions per unit as little as 16% of HGV emissions; and avoiding the requirement for 140,000 HGV journeys on our roads annually, as well as helping the supply chain, which is facing a shortage of HGV drivers.

The strategy outlines 25 initiatives and a cumulative investment of approximately €500 million within the five strategic pillars of the freight strategy, which are: enhancing connections with sea ports; developing a network of inland intermodal terminals; investing in new wagon fleets and bimodal locomotives to allow for further decarbonisation of freight flows; network developments including the connectivity of industrial sites directly to the network; and working with national, regional and European agencies to ensure a policy framework is in place to support a more favourable environment for rail freight, in line with European norms.

Works to reinstate the Limerick to Foynes rail line for freight services are under way following funding from the Department of Transport. It is clear commitment to the goals of the Rail Freight 2040 Strategy, with an early 2026 opening still planned.

Under climate action, as well as providing sustainable transport alternatives for people and freight, this investment is part of our climate action to reduce emissions by 51% by 2030. This will be achieved from reduced reliance on diesel through alternative fuels on existing fleets with biofuels, hydrotreated vegetable oil, HVO, and green hydrogen programmes being pursued. Track maintenance vehicle and road fleet transition programmes are under way. We will also be transitioning to electric-powered fleet. The DART+ fleet mentioned are the first order from a framework contract of 750 carriages, which can also serve the Cork area, Wicklow and elsewhere, subject to infrastructure investment. We will also achieve reduced emissions through: green energy generation, including photovoltaic, PV, solar panels and corporate purchasing power agreements; a fleet and building works to reduce energy consumption, with our existing intercity railcar and commuter fleets seeing hybrid power and other upgrades to reduce consumption; and building upgrades to improve energy efficiency while protecting the heritage of our buildings.

The next subject I will speak about is the all-island strategic rail review. Railways and other transport infrastructure are long-term national assets, and the publication by the Department of Transport in Ireland and Department of Infrastructure in Northern Ireland of the draft of the first all-island strategic rail review was extremely welcome in establishing the future strategic agenda for our sector. It recommends improved speeds and frequency, electrification, new and enhanced routes and greater regional balance by developing a rail network that will sustainably serve a growing population, significantly benefitting people, communities, businesses, the environment and economies across the island of Ireland, both North and South. Iarnród Éireann strongly supports all recommendations in the draft review and appreciates having had the opportunity to input into its preparation. We look forward to collaborating with all stakeholders on next steps and see it as part of the real momentum towards rail playing a stronger role in our transport and mobility solutions over the years and decades ahead. It is critical that we ensure a steady pipeline of projects to maintain our infrastructure development and move away from stop-start patterns of the past.

There are two final matters that I wish to raise, the first of which is Rosslare Europort. Iarnród Éireann is port authority for Rosslare Europort and its status as Ireland’s gateway to Europe has been confirmed with 36 services operating directly between the port and Europe each week. As well as investment in the port master plan, an ambitious €200 million plan to become one of Ireland’s renewable energy hubs to service the offshore renewable energy, ORE, sector is progressing, with the port uniquely placed to support the development of the industry in the Celtic and Irish Seas. The planning process for this key national and regional strategic investment will be progressed through 2024. We are also supporting the Office of Public Works, OPW, in its significant T7 investment programme in the port, incorporating permanent border control facilities within our site at Rosslare Europort.

Last but not least is our people. We are building a workplace to firmly establish Iarnród Eireann as an employer of choice. Ensuring the railway has the talent and skills across all roles needed to deliver on its ambitions is critical. The company offers not just employment but full career opportunities across the company. In 2023, for the third year in a row, Iarnród Eireann was ranked as one of Ireland’s five leading employers in the best employers research. It was third overall and the leading Irish employer in the study in 2023. Additionally, we have been awarded apprenticeship employer of the year, with a commitment not only to excellent apprenticeships but continued career opportunities. It is a busy time but an exciting one. Our team of more than 4,500 colleagues across all business areas are working as one team to deliver on our ambitions.

I thank the committee for its continued support. We would be happy to answer any questions members may have.