Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)

I will cut to the chase. North Drogheda objectively needs a train station. It should already be in place. I was on Louth County Council more than 20 years ago when we masterplanned the provision of 5,000 new homes. Half of those homes have been or are in the process of being built. These plans included a site for a train station, but then came the crash. Up to half of those homes, as I said, have been built or they are in process and we still do not have a new station.

The profile of the new residents of that area suggests that a high proportion of them are commuters. Getting from that side of Drogheda, which will be Ireland's next city, Ireland's smallest city, to the train station can be a real challenge in the morning. DART+ will create capacity issues. As Deputy Smith said, we need four-tracking and suggestions have been made for a four-tracking initiative parallel to the M1 up to Clongriffin. It is an intriguing suggestion and absolutely makes sense.

Let us get to the point where we can establish the Drogheda east station. That is how it is referred to in the plan. Let us get it up and running, even with a limited service for now to relieve congestion and provide those commuting opportunities from north Drogheda for the thousands of people who live there at the moment. Will the Minister commit to including the provision of the Drogheda east station in the policy initiative that I understand will be developed later this year based on the rail review proposals? The review does not mention Dunleer station at all. It was closed a few decades ago. Will the Minister confirm whether, if there is no mention in the review of a station reopening, it means the prospect of opening it, that is the station in Dunleer, is buried or gone once and for all?

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