Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Transport who is to reply to my query on the western rail link. With the increase in congestion on our roads, trucks clogging up traffic on single-lane carriageways and the ongoing problems the Government is experiencing regarding the port tunnel, the Government's blind spot in terms of rail freight and the general issue of subsidising rail travel is becoming all the more obvious.

The recent Transport 21 plan, announced with much fanfare, was shockingly short on detail considering its ambitions. Its costings could have been put together on the back of an envelope such was the scarcity of detail revealed in the figures. One figure, that of €34 billion, was pulled out of the hat by the Minister for Transport, Deputy Cullen, who likes dealing in millions and billions. However, few took the figure at face value and it quickly became obvious that €10 billion of the €34 billion had already been accounted for under the National Roads Authority's road building programme, that 90% of the roads mentioned in Transport 21 had already been announced, and that the new inter-urban roads were already agreed under the NRA's 2004 road building project and the national development plan.

If one were not a sceptic, and especially if one were a railway enthusiast, one might have disregarded this creative accounting and looked to the proposed investment in rail services, particularly to the much anticipated re-opening of the western rail corridor. However, the failure to attach an investment figure to this project immediately set alarm bells ringing. How much is being proposed? The Minister says he will not release what he calls commercially sensitive information until the public procurement process for the re-opening of the Ennis-Claremorris line is complete. Road builders appear to be taking advantage of this. They tender and the final costs of their projects eventually come in up to 100% over budget.

I welcome the Minister's renewed commitment to have the Ennis-Athenry link completed by 2008, although I am concerned that he calls this an indicative timescale. Does this represent a climbdown from the original commitment that the link would be open within three years of the date of the announcement and the Taoiseach's commitment that the ten-year transport plan would be completed on time and on budget?

The other fear with the western rail corridor is that the price mooted of between €300 million and €400 million, representing approximately 1% of the €34 billion swag, will be soaked up in capital outlays and that the operations of Iarnród Éireann between Ennis and Galway and on subsequent routes on the western rail corridor will not be subsidised in the same way as other routes on the rail network. This is why I raise this matter on the Adjournment. Will the rail line be subsidised similarly to other routes and will there be added incentives initially to encourage commuters to use the line? When will the commuter service from Athenry to Galway be operational? When can the people of Clare look forward to taking the train to Galway, which is a mere 40 miles from them? Likewise, when can the people of Galway go to Clare by rail?

The Minister should note the outstanding success of the Ennis-Limerick commuter line which was long fought for and once disregarded as being unworkable and commercially unviable. I use the service from time to time when travelling on to Dublin. It allows one to escape the madness, chaos and unpredictability of travelling by road to Dublin. The service has been expanded since it was first announced, with the result that there is considerable pressure to expand the parking facilities at Ennis railway station.

The Ennis-Athenry-Galway line will also be an outstanding success and I hope the work thereon will be completed in the timescale proposed by the Minister. It would link up two very important cities, Galway and Limerick, and would allow for an option to travel to Dublin. I urge the Minister to do as I propose, remove some of the traffic from our roads as soon as possible and, if necessary, make available the subsidies from which every other rail passenger benefits.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Pat Breen for raising this important issue. Transport 21 provides for the reopening of the western rail corridor between Ennis and Claremorris on a phased basis and the preservation of an alignment as far as Collooney. It also provides for the upgrade of the Athenry-Galway line in respect of commuter services.

The western rail corridor, when completed, will provide a rail link between the cities of Limerick and Galway and an onward connection to Claremorris. The new line will also facilitate the provision of intra-regional services within the Border, midland and west region. The line between Ennis and Athenry will be the first section to be developed and I await specific proposals from Iarnród Éireann in this regard. Subject to progress in planning, the indicative date for the completion of this first section is 2008. The indicative date for the completion of the Athenry-Tuam section is 2011 and that for the Tuam-Claremorris section is 2014. I understand the necessary steps to preserve the section of line between Claremorris and Collooney will be taken this year.

The phased approach to reopening the western rail corridor, in addition to being consistent with the McCann recommendations, addresses the management of the construction programme in the context of Iarnród Éireann's overall resource requirements under Transport 21. It is important to bear in mind that the rail corridor in question has the potential to attract significant new development along the route. The greater the critical mass of population and economic activity, the stronger the case for this investment. I have already made it clear to the relevant local authorities that it is a matter for them to develop and implement land use strategies that support the case for rail investment.