Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Minister for Transport, I thank the Deputies for the opportunity to address this issue and to provide the House with an update on the future development of the western rail corridor. As the Deputies may be aware, services have been operating between Limerick and Athenry via Ennis on a section of the western rail corridor since 2010.

In 2021, two reports were published in respect of the proposed reopening of the western rail corridor, phases 2 and 3, and the Minister for Transport brought the conclusions of both of those reports to Government in December 2020. The first of these is known as the EY report. It was commissioned by Iarnród Éireann in line with a decision of the previous Government. This report consisted of a financial and economic appraisal of the potential reopening of the western rail corridor, phases 2 and 3, which would have extended the line to Tuam and Claremorris. The report estimated that the capital cost of reopening the line would be approximately €260 million but that the economic return on investment would be poor.

Alongside the EY report, the Department of Transport commissioned an independent review by JASPERS. The latter is an agency established by the European Commission and the European Investment Bank to assist member states in making investments in European regions, such as in the west of Ireland. The JASPERS review concluded that the findings of the EY report were not unreasonable. In the context of the projected costs and demand - areas of the EY report which were subject to some public criticism - the JASPERS review found them to be within reasonable ranges, although perhaps based on a design solution and operational plan that might be considered overly optimistic.

There are four key observations of the JASPERS review that should be focused upon in particular. JASPERS noted that the proposed reopening of the western rail corridor did not address any identified social or transport constraint, did not sit within any broader strategic framework for the development of rail in Ireland, did not contribute toward our climate action objectives and would not attract EU funding in its present form.

Noting the conclusion in the JASPERS review that there was a lack of strategic context for planning investment in the heavy rail network, in 2021 the Minister for Transport, in partnership with the Minister for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland, announced his intention to undertake an all-island strategic rail review. This review is considering how the rail network on the island of Ireland can promote sustainable connectivity into, and between, the major cities, enhance regional accessibility and support balanced regional development. The review is examining how the railways are used, how they could be used in future and how the network can evolve to serve the people on the island of Ireland and achieve policy goals. Among other disused and closed lines, the review is considering the potential reopening of the western rail corridor.

Work on the review is now at an advanced stage. However, before the review can be formally approved, it will require consideration under relevant environmental regulations, in particular the strategic environmental assessment, SEA, regulations. If the review is screened in for SEA, as anticipated, a draft of the review will be published for statutory public consultation in the coming months.

Following the completion of environmental regulatory procedures and finalisation of the report on foot of the public consultation, the review will be submitted for the formal approval of the Minister for Transport and, ultimately, it will be submitted to Government, as well as to the Minister for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. Should there continue to be an absence of Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive, approval will be considered taking into account the decision-making framework set out in the Northern Ireland Act 2022 or relevant legislation in place at the time. It is expected that the final review will be published in the second half of 2023 and will establish the strategic context for investment in regional and rural rail identified as lacking by JASPERS at the time of the EY western rail corridor report.

See this speech in context