Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

On the report that was done, I am long enough around to know that when consultants are employed to carry out reviews, they very often have in mind what the result is going to be before they actually carry it out. That is very much the case in regard to the reviews that were put in place here. There has long been a reluctance on behalf of the Department of Transport to have anything to do with developing our rail system across the entire island, particularly in respect of the western rail corridor. We are all grown-up enough to recognise that. We need to recognise there is a serious issue in respect of this.

There is one particular aspect that we need to look at. I invite the Minister of State to make a commitment that the existing railway track that has been closed down around the country would not be used for anything else, and I am particularly interested in the 47-mile rail line that runs from Collooney to Claremorris. It is similar to other rail lines throughout the country. We cannot repeat the mistakes of the past. Here in Dublin, we are now developing tram systems. However, not that many generations ago, all the tramlines were dug up and thrown away. When they are there, we need to keep them. I welcome the rail review that is taking place. We need to wait until we get that done. We need to ensure that we protect the existing lines that are there for the future.

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