Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this important Topical Issue matter. I also thank the Minister, Deputy Ryan, for being in the Chamber. It certainly is a statement for him to be here in relation to the importance of this project for the west.

One of the single most valuable pieces of infrastructure in the west of Ireland, and Ireland as a whole, is the western rail corridor. The campaign for its reopening has been ongoing for the past two decades. I commend West on Track for its dedication and commitment to the campaign. The preservation of this key piece of infrastructure is already in place. It will be of enormous benefit and is of paramount importance. If and when this project is funded the opening of a freight and passenger line will herald a new era in transport and development for the west, as well as reducing emissions and allowing people to travel more sustainably. Much hinges on the contents of the soon-to-be-published all-Ireland strategic rail review. Rumours and speculation are rife that the western rail corridor link from Athenry to Claremorris is to be recommended for reopening, but all we have to date is speculation.

Rail will play a central role in underpinning economic development in the west in future.

The western rail corridor project is not simply about reopening an old railway line. It is about reimagining and revitalising our regional transportation infrastructure. This project will significantly reduce travel times between Mayo and Galway, making our communities more accessible and interconnected than ever before. Furthermore, the improved accessibility will also stimulate local economies, attract new businesses and encourage tourism, thereby providing an economic boost to the entire region. It will also provide an increased opportunity for people to work, live and thrive in their communities.

Beyond the economic impact, the western rail corridor is about bringing our communities closer together. It is about breaking down barriers and creating a more cohesive and integrated region where people can easily travel to work, education or leisure. The combination of renewable energy projects, industry and infrastructure means we are within reach of achieving a transformative shift required in rebalancing our economy. It is time this report, which has been ongoing for the past two years, is published and this long-dormant line is returned to use.

Regional policy objectives published by the Northern and Western Regional Assembly specifically support the restoration of the western rail corridor. This strategy also recognises the potential in consolidating the Atlantic economic corridor. Developing the Atlantic economic corridor, rebalancing economic development and ensuring the western seaboard benefits from this, particularly in terms of infrastructure development, are critically important.

The cost, which was outlined in a report issued by John Bradley, estimated the cost of reopening the Athenry to Claremorris line as being in the region of €154 million, which is a drop in the ocean for this shovel-ready and environmentally sustainable development. It is a small fraction of the costs associated with BusConnects, MetroLink or other Dublin projects. There is now the potential for Westport, Ballina, Castlebar, Claremorris, Tuam and Sligo to have a freight and passenger rail line with our regional capital in Galway. It would also play a crucial role in developing Knock Airport and have significant environmental benefits in reducing carbon use and freight. Could the Minister for Transport provide an update on the all-Ireland strategic rail review and the importance of this project for the west?

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I am very glad to have the chance to respond to the Deputy's question. Can I put it first and foremost in a very broad framework? The day before yesterday, for the first time in recorded history, the temperature of our planet went above 17° on average. This is above the 1.5° increase we are hoping to avert through the Paris climate agreement. For most of June, as the Leas-Chathaoirleach will know, we had an extraordinary situation whereby the temperature of the air above the surface of the sea off the west coast of Ireland was 5° above average, which is outside any precedent. World weather systems are changing dramatically in front of us and this requires an urgent and dramatic response.

This sounds very broad but it has implications for every aspect of what we do. In particular, in the transport sector, which accounts for a fifth of our emissions, we have to act now and change our systems to a better way that is decarbonised. This will be most difficult in the freight and haulage sector. We know we can switch to active travel, public transport and electric cars but trucks are going to be difficult. In my mind, what will come is battery electric trucks but trucks also have different characteristics such as different range characteristics. I believe a fundamental shift will be the revitalisation of rail freight on our island as a means of decarbonising our transport system.

With the reintroduction of rail freight, there is the potential to reintroduce a lot of passenger services when we get the rail lines back. We need to consider two critical pieces of infrastructure in this regard: the connection from Rosslare to Waterford and the connection from Athenry to Claremorris. By reopening those two sections, we have the potential for an Atlantic rail corridor that runs all the way from Rosslare to Ballina and Westport. The advantage of this is that every big international or local business within 50 to 100 km of that rail line would have a mechanism to get a zero-carbon export solution to their products. Battery electric trucks could be driven to the train station or marshalling yard with access via that rail line through Shannon Foynes Port, Marino Point in Cork, Waterford Port or Rosslare Europort. Currently a lot of that traffic goes from Galway, Mayo and Limerick through the middle of the country and our towns on the way to Rosslare and out to France. Building that section from Athenry to Claremorris gives us the opportunity to go towards a low-carbon transport solution. It also opens up the possibility of passenger services and much greater inter-connection.

The EY report that looked at whether we should reopen the Athenry to Claremorris line had too narrow a focus. The report asked whether there was sufficient demand for people to commute from Claremorris or Tuam to Galway by rail. Obviously, the answer was "not really" because there was a more direct bus route and the cost would be very high in comparison. However, when you broaden the lens in the way I have just done, it changes the analysis. I am looking forward to the publication of the strategic rail review this month and I believe it will make that case. We then have to collectively as a Parliament make the case for the investment. I wish it was the figure the Deputy said Mr. Bradley would say but I fear it is likely to be a multiple of that. If he could build it for that figure, I would hire him tomorrow.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for his response. I appreciate his statement on broadening the lens regarding the importance of the western rail corridor. I understand the stumbling blocks regarding the publication of the all-Ireland strategic rail review and the pushing ahead of a draft review that needs to set out what is contained within it. However, a lot of work is taking place in Mayo. A lot of the multinationals, which are key employers throughout the county, are looking at their own corporate responsibility objectives regarding sustainable freight travel. A network is being established around how they can move trucks from road to rail. This will be an important factor for the Minister and his officials to evaluate in terms of how we reopen the western rail corridor.

Given the success of the train service between Limerick and Ennis, which has surpassed all expectations, work on obtaining funding and getting the next phase from Claremorris to Athenry going will be a key component of our approach. As the Minister said, we can connect Westport, Castlebar and Ballina to Claremorris, which opens up a significant opportunity and meets the strategic objectives of connecting Ballina to the ports of Waterford and Foynes at the same time, which is really important. There is strong cross-party support across the western region for the restoration of this key piece of infrastructure, which has lain idle for far too long. We cannot continue to exist on fine words. We need to see delivery. We have moved ahead with the Foynes project, which is under way. The Galway-Mayo link is critical to that and I appeal to the Minister to see that work can commence on clearing the line by September.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Deputy is right. When the Limerick-Ennis service reopened, it defied expectations and there was huge demand but that has always been the case. When the Cobh line to Cork was reopened, passenger demand was way ahead of expectations. There are significant passenger numbers on the line from Ennis to Athenry. Every time, we open passenger rail services, the public shows with its feet that it wants it.

None of the investment that will be required to reopen the western rail corridor is in the existing NDP. We do not have any budget for the new rail freight carriages in which we will need to invest.

The ones I think we will invest in come from France and are being used in the ports we connect to such as Cherbourg, where a rail freight carriage can pivot and take a haulage truck, a trailer, straight onto the train; it clips back in. That changes the entire dynamics of how rail freight can work. Battery electric trucks will also change it. To date the economics of rail freight did not work especially in small countries like Ireland because distance matters. However, distance now matters in a different way when decarbonising haulage solutions because the battery electric trucks only have a range of about 300 km. It does not make economic sense to drive from Westport to Dublin Port or to Rosslare Europort because it would be necessary to recharge which will take four or five hours. However, it does make sense do a shuttle run. The Allergan plant is only across the road from the railway station but it would be possible to haul shorter distances in a clean way. The Deputy is absolutely right; all those companies have scope 3 requirements and need to decarbonise their transport systems. Once this report is published, I would like to ask all those businesses if they are on for it. Do they think this is the way we can collectively decarbonise? I bet that the vast majority would say "Yes".