Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)

Best wishes to Ms Considine in her new role. I want to raise the Navan rail line. In January 2024, in the previous transport committee, we heard from Irish Rail that the plan was that the project would move to route selection and project design. This would be completed by the end of 2025 and the application for the railway order would be submitted in 2026. The latest responses I have received suggest that there will be a public consultation on the route options in early 2026. Is it still the plan to apply for the railway order in the calendar year of 2026? Is it still the expectation that this might take 12 or 18 months? What level of funding will be available to bring this project to construction at that stage, when the railway order is in place?