James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, Deputy John McGuinness, for allowing me some of his time. I wish to speak on this issue because Cork East is receiving the largest single investment in an active rail project anywhere in the country now, with a €1.6 billion investment into the Cork area metropolitan transport strategy. I note Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan from Cork North-Central is in the Chair. Both our constituencies are beneficiaries of this investment. The project is advancing at a rapid pace. I was lucky enough to be down on the site more recently with the appointed contractor and Irish Rail's project manager, A.J. Cronin. Phenomenal work is being done and I commend it.

It would be remiss of me not to bring up the restoration of the railway line further east towards Youghal and the restoration of the train stations at Killeagh and Mogeely. It goes without saying that a state-of-the-art greenway investment has been put in place costing a very significant amount of money - shy of €20 million. It is heavily utilised and has been quite successful but members of the public constantly raise this with me as a TD representing east Cork. I feel obliged to tell the House that I have done some research into what the cost of restoring that railway line would be. I am told by the appointed contractor of the Cork area commuter rail programme rail improvement scheme, involving double tracking to Midleton, that it would cost around €300 million. It is important to put on the record of the House that the cost of restoring the line and having a fully equipped electrified rail connection back to Youghal would probably come in at around that amount, which is a very substantial sum of money for the catchment area of east Cork that I represent. Ultimately, this should happen but in consideration of the fact that the greenway is in place, assessing the economic success of that greenway and the impact it has on the tourist economy in Youghal. I want to add my own two cents to the argument because I am a believer in investing more in public transport, especially when we are expecting a significant increase in the population in east Cork with the development of residential housing at Water-rock, and the further expansion of housing stock in the Carrigtwohill-Glounthaune area.

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