Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 12, 13, 23 and 70 together.

As the Deputies are aware, the strategic rail review is being undertaken in co-operation with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. The results of the review will inform the development of the railway sector on the island of Ireland over the coming decades. A draft report is currently being finalised by the consultants for submission to the Departments. The finalised draft report will then be submitted for approval to both Ministers and ultimately the Government and the Executive. Once these necessary approvals have been secured, I will obviously then publish the report.

As Deputies are aware, the strategic rail review is considering the future of the rail network with regard to the following ambitions: improving sustainable connectivity between the major cities, including the potential for higher and high-speed, enhancing regional accessibility, supporting balanced regional development and rail connectivity to our international gateways. This also includes the role of rail freight.

The review is considering the scope for improved rail services and infrastructure along the various existing, or potential future, corridors of the network including disused and closed lines. The review has been informed by a public consultation process which concluded last year, and which received a great response both North and South. The Government has previously stated its belief in the potential of rail. It is important that we address constraints in the rail sector and pursue a strategy that allows rail to fulfil its potential as a sustainable mode of transport as we move to decarbonise the transport sector, as well as meeting rural connectivity objectives and as a generator of prosperity for people across Ireland.

The strategic rail review will assist in and inform that, and I look forward to its completion. It is the first all-island review of the network since the foundation of the State and will provide a framework to develop a much-improved rail network in the decades ahead.

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