Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Last year, I secured an additional €45 million for Irish Rail and this year, I secured an additional €38 million for Irish Rail on top of the Estimates that were announced at budget time in each year. During my tenure in office I have done all that was possible to respond to the challenges Irish Rail faces. I am well aware of the challenges different parts of the rail network face. The Minister of State, Deputy Michael Ring, constantly raises with me the different needs the west faces in all of the various transport networks available to the area.

On the question of mandatory tendering of the Irish rail market, in addition to articulating my views on concerns about what the policy would mean to a rail market of the scale in this country, I travelled and met the Commissioner in a bilateral meeting and made very clear that I did not believe mandatory tendering of an entire rail network was appropriate given its scale and the way it is organised.

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