Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his question and his interest in this issue.

We are all aware that the number of people choosing to make rail part of their daily commute has increased in recent years. Last year, there were 48 million passenger journeys on the heavy rail network, an increase of approximately 5.5% as compared to the number in 2017. To provide some context to that growth, as recently as 2015 the passenger number was approximately 39 million per annum. This increased demand across the network is a sign of continued economic growth and is welcome. It brings challenges, however. As the Deputy will be aware, there are pressures on the rail network to match current demand with available capacity, particularly in the greater Dublin area.

The National Transport Authority, NTA, and Iarnród Éireann are addressing this issue of additional capacity through a mixture of short, medium and longer-term responses. The backdrop to those responses is the substantial funding for public transport that is being provided by Government under our Project Ireland 2040programme.

In the short term, increased PSO funding has allowed for an expansion of services, for example, through the Phoenix Park tunnel, the introduction of ten-minute DARTs and new off-peak services on the Maynooth, Kildare and northern lines. While there is probably some potential for additional measures on the busier commuter lines in respect of off-peak capacity, the fleet is currently fully deployed at peak times.

We have also significantly increased funding for the maintenance and renewal of the network, meaning that it is now funded at so-called steady-state level, as measured annually. It means that Iarnród Éireann is able to better plan for issues such as track relaying, ballast cleaning and signalling renewal, and that means an improved passenger experience and potential journey time improvements on key sections of the network.

In the medium term, the challenge is to source additional rolling stock as efficiently and effectively as possible, and ensuring value for money for the taxpayer in that regard. Accordingly, the NTA and Irish Rail have been exploring two options: the purchase or lease of second-hand fleet and the purchase of additional carriages for the existing Intercity rail commuter fleet.

Regarding second-hand fleet, the NTA recently advertised for expressions of interest and is considering the responses received. There is an added complication associated with that option given the different rail gauge we use in Ireland. A decision on which of the two medium-term options will be pursued will be made shortly.

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