John McGahon (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chair. I will focus on a couple of projects that are local to the Chair, Deputy O'Dowd, and me by giving my own thoughts and asking for the witnesses' opinions on them. I will start with the Enterprise train service. The Cathaoirleach will be aware of this himself, coming from Drogheda as he does. First, I am aware of it because I am a regular train user myself. I use it to get here. I use it to go to work and have been using it for the past ten years. I actually introduced a Private Member's Bill this week that proposes to offer refunds when trains are delayed. The reason I am doing so is that the Enterprise service is regularly delayed and is regularly late. People are getting on in my home town of Dundalk or the Cathaoirleach's home town of Drogheda who are paying full whack for a ticket but have no seating. Just this morning for example, Tom Quigley, who is a good friend of mine and who gets the train all the time is waiting for a train that is late again for the third time this week. He is going into work late again for the third time this week and is having to make excuses. That is not good enough for the type of transport that we want, particularly between Dublin and Belfast which in my view, is the economic engine for the island of Ireland. It is where we have a huge number of people in employment and a huge number of educational opportunities. While I acknowledge I am being parochial about it because I am in the middle of it, it is an important part of this island. My question concerns the €12.5 million in funding the shared island initiative is putting in, as well as the work it is doing with the Department of Transport in both the North and the South. Are the witnesses confident that this money is going to be enough at this stage to be able to increase the capacity and the frequency in order that there no longer will be substantial delays or people standing on trains from Newry, Dundalk or Drogheda? I would be interested in that because it is an excellent project. When I see things like this I get excited about them, particularly when this is going to come through by quarter 1 of 2025. In the first instance, I would love to know about the data behind that and how the unit can be certain that this is going to resolve a lot of the issues.

Second, in respect of the Narrow Water Bridge- again the Chair is very aware of this - I believe this will exist because of the work done by the shared island unit, the commitment the Government has put towards it and because Louth County Council kept it alive for a number years after it literally died a death in 2013. It is great to now see everybody from all political parties involved. It reminds me of that saying that success has 1,000 fathers. That is happening with the Narrow Water Bridge, in that everyone is responsible for building it. While it is important to have people from all political persuasions on both sides of the Border supporting it, the shared island unit is responsible for it because being able to put in funding at that level, in what probably is the most significant amount of funding, will make it a success and will make it a reality. I wanted to put that on the record because it really is because of the work you guys have put into it.

I am more concerned about the rail line side of it and that that project may not live up to expectations. I do not have any similar concerns about the Narrow Water Bridge because it has moved to such a point at this stage that it is going ahead and will be really good. My other question relates back to the train services. How can the witnesses be sure that the funding the unit is putting in will be enough and how will it come up with that data as to where that funding comes along?