Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

It is reassuring to hear the commitment and the understanding in the Department of Transport of how serious the issue is and the required intervention that the Minister of State has set out. On the ongoing maintenance she mentioned, I worked on the railway for many years and I know the line very well. I know all the points where it is level and where it is operating at sea level right the way from Dublin. Looking across at Merrion Gates, you can see that the line is almost at sea level. Down from there, flooding occurred at Seapoint years ago where the waves had over-topped.

To its credit, Iarnród Éireann and its coastal defence teams have done a fantastic job on a rail line that is in a difficult environment and is sometimes difficult to access. If that rail line was being built today, it would not be put in that location. However, that was where the land was provided 150 or 200 years ago. When we talk about coastal defences, as the Deputy outlined, not only are we trying to protect that railway, we are also trying to protect people's land and property. Another aspect of it is that where that kind of coastal defence is put in, not seawall-type defences - rocks dropped at sea - it has the ability to take the power out of the waves coming in and allows the waves to deposit the sand, stone and silt they carry resulting in beach nourishment. If planned and done properly there can be an environmental benefit to it as well. All marine engineering is difficult and expensive and requires many assessments to see whether it will work and what the environmental impacts of it may be. All of those things will be taken into account by the engineers within the Department and Iarnród Éireann and by whatever expert marine consultants are procured. It is important, as the Minister of State said in her response, there is ongoing commitment to this and that it will be funded. The next stage is the design and the planning application process. I am glad to hear that this morning.

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