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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 50 and 72 together.

As the Deputy may be aware, the All-Island Strategic Rail Review was undertaken in co-operation with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. Following two public consultations, the review’s final report was published on 31 July 2024.

The review's final report sets out 32 strategic recommendations to enhance and expand the rail system in Ireland and Northern Ireland up to 2050, aligning with net carbon zero commitments in both jurisdictions. The recommendations seek to transform the quality of the rail system to the benefit of passengers and wider society on the island, through additional track capacity, electrification, increased speeds, higher service frequencies and new routes.

11 o’clock

The final review report will inform the development of rail on the island of Ireland in the coming decades to 2050. It should be noted that the individual projects referred to in the report will be subject to funding and relevant approvals as required under the infrastructure guidelines in Ireland.

Assisted by the European Investment Bank, the Department of Transport, the Department for Infrastructure and agencies North and South are working to progress the report's recommendations in the years ahead. This includes a more detailed identification of rail priorities to pursue over the next decade. A report on this matter is expected to be published in the coming weeks. Progress on following up on the rail review will be reported on as appropriate through the North-South Ministerial Council.

Regarding Deputy Ó Cuív's query on the criteria used to identify projects to be advanced in the first decade of the review, this analysis is being informed by criteria such as the goals of the rail review and the national investment framework for transport in Ireland, which both aim for enhanced regional and rural connectivity as a goal. Hence, it is expected that this work will take account of the issue of balanced regional development.

Deputies are aware the rail review was not looking at the metropolitan areas. It does not relate to the Dublin metro, DART+ projects or Cork metropolitan rail. It is important, when considering the funding now, that many projects have to happen in Cork, Galway, Waterford and Limerick as well as in Dublin. As I have said, we have engaged with the consultancy arm of the European Investment Bank and I expect to be able to bring the report to the Government in the coming weeks. It is looking at this next decade and what we do first. This is a multi-decade investment strategy. It is not completed but I expected it may show that work in metropolitan rail investment must continue apace and accelerate. There are many other projects we can invest in relatively quickly and at relatively low cost which will provide significant enhancements in speeds and service. These include passing loops throughout the main lines of network.

See this speech in context