Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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For the record, I was asked if I wished to wait for someone from the Department of Transport to deal with this matter. It is so urgent, however, I decided to proceed. I thank the Minister of State for coming in to take it.

I am concerned with regard to how we are going to protect the east coast rail line from coastal flooding events into the future. We saw what happened in the south west this week and the events in east Cork where people lost their businesses and properties. It is only right to acknowledge the huge effort and work put in by local authorities and emergency services to assist those people and the way communities came together to help. We are going to see more of this, however. We will see greater intensity of flooding and greater frequency of these types of events. There will be situations such as exist now whereby, even though we have just come through the summer, the water table is extremely high and the ground is saturated. There is nowhere for surface water to go. When we have these fluvial events where rivers over-top, there just is nowhere for the water to go.

The east coast did not escape Storm Babet. There is an area in my constituency in Wicklow called the Murrough. It is a really well-loved coastal walking route which brings one from Wicklow up towards Newcastle. Coastal storm surges over the weekend washed away part of the pathway. We are now very close to the railway. It is probably about 5 m or 6 m from the railway at its closest point. We will see more of these storm events and we have been losing sections of the walkway for years. We know the rate at which erosion is happening. Thankfully, Irish Rail and Wicklow County Council have stepped up. Irish Rail in the main has stepped up each time and put in interim coastal protection, a kind of rock amour, to try to slow the erosion. Ultimately, however, what is required is a much longer term solution. That is the east coast railway infrastructure protection projects, ECRIPP. I was still a member of Wicklow County Council when it received its first presentation on this initiative. It is a large-scale and absolutely needed investment along the east coast. It is not just to protect Wicklow but also parts of Dublin through the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown constituency and down through Wicklow. There are a number of places where the railway and the coastline are vulnerable, but that railway is a strategic transport channel down the east coast. It runs from Belfast to Dublin to Rosslare. We know the importance of Rosslare since Brexit. We are also taking measures now to reopen the west coast with Limerick across through Waterford through Rosslare Strand and into Rosslare Europort. It is important that we protect the rail line. It is strategic.

Are plans in place? Is funding being secured? Is it a priority for the Government - I hope it is - to protect the east coast rail line? I hope the Minister of State can provide me with some answers.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to address this issue on behalf of the Minister for Transport. Coastal railway construction and maintenance has always been challenging. Throughout its history, interventions have been required to protect the east coast rail line from impacts of embankments, water coming over the line and coastal erosion. The Minister for Transport understands that Iarnród Éireann has, over many years, managed the coastal defence of the east coast Dublin to Rosslare line and monitors the coast line erosion rates at key points along the railway line on an ongoing basis. Iarnród Eireann operates a safe rail network on the east coast of Ireland. The Dublin to Wicklow section of this line is a critical part of the rail network with south side DART, Gorey commuter and Rosslare Europort intercity services operating along the scenic route.

In recent years, there has been an increase in the frequency of storm events as results of climate change. This necessitates more maintenance works to be carried out to respond to the effects of coastal erosion, wave over-topping and coastal flooding on the rail line and supporting infrastructure. In 2017, Iarnród Eireann undertook a feasibility study to assess the anticipated increase in maintenance requirement for this area resulting from climate change. The study identified several key areas between Dublin and Wicklow where strategic intervention at this time would enable existing rail services to continue to operate with minimal disruptions. The ECRIPP scheme was established to deliver the necessary enhanced coastal protection to the existing railway infrastructure in a number of key locations on the rail network. The project will mitigate against coastal erosion, extreme weather and coastal flooding to ensure rail connectivity is maintained. Iarnród Eireann will continue to undertake maintenance and remedial works in key areas along the east coast rail line.

The primary focus of this project is to address and implement protection of the existing railway and coastal infrastructure against the further effect of coastal erosion due to climate change in key locations along the railway line between Dublin and Wicklow. The project works to provide an additional benefit in that it will be protecting property, businesses and farmland while performing its primary function of protecting the railway infrastructure. The key objectives of the project include supporting the continued safe operation of the rail services; increased railway infrastructure; future resilience to climate change; provide improved and sustainable coastal protection works against predicted climate change effects such as sea level rise; coastal erosion; storm surges on the east coast railway corridor; secure the railway line for future generations; allow the long-term efficient management and maintenance of the railway corridor; and support sustainable low-carbon local, regional and international connectivity, fostering a low carbon and climate resilient society.

I trust the Deputy will see that the matter is being taken very seriously. It is also important to say that in 2020, €230 million for this programme was included in the National Development Plan 2021-2030. It will be delivered over many years.

Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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It is reassuring to hear the commitment and the understanding in the Department of Transport of how serious the issue is and the required intervention that the Minister of State has set out. On the ongoing maintenance she mentioned, I worked on the railway for many years and I know the line very well. I know all the points where it is level and where it is operating at sea level right the way from Dublin. Looking across at Merrion Gates, you can see that the line is almost at sea level. Down from there, flooding occurred at Seapoint years ago where the waves had over-topped.

To its credit, Iarnród Éireann and its coastal defence teams have done a fantastic job on a rail line that is in a difficult environment and is sometimes difficult to access. If that rail line was being built today, it would not be put in that location. However, that was where the land was provided 150 or 200 years ago. When we talk about coastal defences, as the Deputy outlined, not only are we trying to protect that railway, we are also trying to protect people's land and property. Another aspect of it is that where that kind of coastal defence is put in, not seawall-type defences - rocks dropped at sea - it has the ability to take the power out of the waves coming in and allows the waves to deposit the sand, stone and silt they carry resulting in beach nourishment. If planned and done properly there can be an environmental benefit to it as well. All marine engineering is difficult and expensive and requires many assessments to see whether it will work and what the environmental impacts of it may be. All of those things will be taken into account by the engineers within the Department and Iarnród Éireann and by whatever expert marine consultants are procured. It is important, as the Minister of State said in her response, there is ongoing commitment to this and that it will be funded. The next stage is the design and the planning application process. I am glad to hear that this morning.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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On behalf of the Minister for Transport I thank the Deputy for his comments and his interest on this important issue. As I mentioned, Iarnród Éireann has been monitoring this east coast rail line and the effects of coastal erosion on it for many years. In noting the increase in severity and frequency of erosion impacts Iarnród Éireann has developed a series of infrastructure protection projects known as the east coast railway infrastructure protection project, ECRIPP. The project, with indicative costs of €230 million in 2020 prices, was included in the National Development Plan 2021 to 2030. It is planned that it will be delivered over the coming seven years under a series of work packages for each major location including Bray Head to Greystones north beach, Newcastle to Wicklow and the Dalkey tunnel to Killiney station.

Iarnród Éireann is currently developing project concepts feasibility and options selection. During this phase the project team is undertaking physical assessment and evaluating the environmental constraints of each of the key locations. Using an objective assessment methodology, Iarnród Éireann will develop appropriate measures termed options and consider the risk associated with each option in terms of addressing coastal erosion. The project team is currently undertaking surveys that will further develop design options and solutions for key locations. Iarnród Éireann will seek to present the emerging preferred option for individual locations to the public as part of the non-statutory public consultation in spring 2024. Feedback on the proposal will be incorporated into further design developments which will culminate with submissions for the necessary statutory consents in autumn 2024. To reassure the Deputy, measures are being taken to protect and maintain the rail network generally and specifically with regard to the east coast rail line through the ECRIPP.