Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)

I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to raise this important matter on the adjournment. We have suffered heavily from the failure of successive Governments to ensure balanced regional development through a failure to invest adequately in infrastructure in the west. Four years have elapsed under the national plan and in the meantime €22.8 billion has been spent in the south and east regions and €8.3 billion in the BMW region. The south and east regions spend represents 92% of what was forecast in the national development plan but the BMW region has achieved only 75% of the projected spend.

The west and north-western part of County Mayo is in serious decline. It is the most socio-economically deprived area of Ireland. Half of Mayo graduates have to go to Dublin for their first job. If the present rate of decline continues north and west Mayo, in a line west of Killala to Newport, will be completely deserted by the end of the century. After generations of party politics in Mayo we do not have the roads, rail, telecommunications and broadband infrastructure needed to make it a competitive area.

If broken promises were infrastructure, we would have all the assets we need to compete with any region of the world. That is why the western rail corridor is so important for Mayo. It is the most important piece of unused infrastructure along the entire west region, a wonderful catalyst for the development of the west. It would open up the entire area from Knock Airport to Shannon Airport right through to Rosslare. This route which closed in 1976 runs from Sligo to Limerick via Galway and Ennis, and passes through Claremorris, Tuam and Athenry. The cost of the Ennis to Claremorris line has been estimated at approximately €170 million, while €365 million would reopen the entire link.

Opening the line from Claremorris, County Mayo, would provide a commuter service to Galway city. Iarnród Éireann estimates that it would take two years to reopen the first section of the line. Once again we are hoping and waiting. We await news, possibly tomorrow, about the future of the western rail corridor. The fear is that Government will be true to form and may well announce opening the southern end of the line but will neglect the western part, Ennis to Sligo, which unfortunately would be par for the course so far as successive Governments are concerned regarding the west.

We need the reopening of the western rail corridor to give us essential railway infrastructure. When one considers the cost of a mile of the Luas route, the western rail corridor makes great economic sense. It would give balanced regional development which helps the congested east coast. It would link in nicely with Knock Airport which needs its €30 million investment to have proper facilities and be competitive and to take some of Dublin's 17 million projected passengers. It would help kick-start the Mayo link which would further open up the county. I hope there will be an announcement soon and that Mayo and its neighbouring counties will not be put on the backburner as usual. This is a plea to put the money up front for the western rail corridor to ensure Mayo will not be the last of the Mohicans as usual but the first to get funding.

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