Keira Keogh (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for being here. I will address the all-Ireland strategic rail review from the perspective of its profound significance to County Mayo. I am lucky to have a door-to-door service from Westport to Dublin, but if I want to go to Galway, which is the nearest city, I would have to go to Athlone and then back to Galway and if I want to go to Sligo, I have to drive or take the bus. It would be fantastic if students in particular were able to get from Mayo to Galway by train, especially as we are struggling with the housing crisis. We want a more connected and more equitable Ireland.

Some 32 strategic recommendations came out of the review. One of the lines to be reinstated has to be the western railway corridor between Claremorris and Athenry. Deputy Sheehan spoke about the success of the new route in Limerick. Lots of compliments have been thrown out, but if we got a train all the way to Ireland West Airport, we could call it "the Canney Express". We are all bidding for the Minister of State's attention.

In all seriousness, the Claremorris to Athenry line is a vital piece of railway. It would be a lifeline for regional development and would restore a vital link between Mayo and Galway, offering new economic, tourism and commuter opportunities. Reconnecting the rail line from Claremorris to Athenry would enable students from the west to more easily access third level education in Galway and Limerick. It would be an equaliser and would also ease pressure on some of the urban housing hotspots if people could travel from rural areas in the west into cities such as Galway.

Ballina also plays a regional key role as a freight hub that connects Mayo to industries in Dublin Port. With strategic investment, that link could be strengthened, making Mayo a logistics leader. As I said, if we get the train to Shannon Airport and the train to Knock Airport, just imagine the industry we could support. It would also reduce the number of freight trucks on the roads, lowering our emissions and supporting our climate commitments.

I acknowledge a huge increase in the number of services on the Dublin to Westport route. There are now five services from Monday to Thursday and six on Fridays. However, it is recommended we have a train every two hours. As a new TD, I tried to take the train to Dublin to reduce my emissions.

Three times I took the train to Dublin and three times I had to rent a car to get back to Mayo in time for meetings. Increased services would help our students, workers coming from the west to the east and families and tourists alike.

I will finish on this note. We need to bring the trolley back on trains from Dublin to Westport. It sounds like a nice-to-have but it is a journey of three and a half hours for some people. Many members of the older population and tourists get on the train without realising there is no trolley service. There is not a bottle of water available if there is an emergency. There are no vending machines. I consistently receive emails from my constituents about this. Having raised the issue with the NTA and recently with Irish Rail, I feel the promise to bring the trolley back is going backwards, not forwards. Mayo cannot be left behind.

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