Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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9. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to provide an update on the western rail corridor; the consideration he has given to carrying out a detailed engineering and track survey of the rail line from Claremorris to Collooney; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52785/23]

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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51. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport for an update on the all-island strategic rail review and the impact of the western rail corridor; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52774/23]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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61. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he intends sanctioning money immediately, as happened with the Limerick to Foynes line, to reopen the rail line from Athenry to Claremorris; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52623/23]

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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280. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport for an update on the western rail corridor; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50158/23]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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This question to the Minister relates to whether he is going to progress the redevelopment of the railway line from Athenry to Claremorris immediately? Ancillary to that is to ask the Minister for an update as to when he intends to publish the strategic review.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I thank the Deputy for the question. As he may be aware, the national development plan, NDP, contains a commitment to the western rail corridor being considered as part of the all-island strategic rail review. This review, which I announced in 2021 in partnership with the Minister for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland, is considering the western rail corridor in the context of a more strategic framework for investment in our rail network. This review is the first such Departmental-led review in two decades and the first ever to be conducted on an all-island basis.

The review will inform the development of rail on the island of Ireland in the coming decades to 2050 in line with net-zero targets in both jurisdictions.

The review is considering the potential scope for improved rail services along various existing and potential future corridors of the network, and that scope includes the potential afforded by disused and closed lines such as the western rail corridor.

Work on the review is now at an advanced stage. A draft report was published for a strategic environmental assessment, SEA, public consultation in July. The review recommends that reinstatement of the western rail corridor from Athenry to Claremorris via Tuam be commenced by 2030. This is a significant project, with the review estimating that it could cost between €400 million and €600 million in 2021 prices. The public consultation phase of the SEA process concluded on 29 September and submissions are now under review by officials from both jurisdictions. Following this process, it is expected that a final report will be submitted for ministerial approval and ultimately the approval of the Government, as well as to the Minister of Infrastructure in Northern Ireland if in place. Obviously, we need the Administration in the North back.

This is a vital project. I have asked Irish Rail to answer Deputy Ó Cuív's question directly to see whether we could start clearing the line this winter in the same way we did on the Shannon-Foynes line. That can only be done in the winter period and we need speed and urgency. It can play a central, critical role not just in the economic development of the west of Ireland but also as part of a national revival of rail, particularly rail freight. I am getting an incredible response from businesses right along the west coast that are looking for such solutions, because they have to reduce their scope through emissions and have a low-carbon transport solution. This link is so strategically important when seen in that strategic context as part of an Atlantic rail corridor running all the way from Ballina to Rosslare in Wexford, with connections to some of our main deepwater ports for export and import. I have asked Irish Rail if it can start clearing the line. That obviously requires certain budget provisions. The timing would be difficult. It has to be completed before March. I have asked Irish Rail to do that because it is important that we give a signal to businesses in the west of Ireland that we are in business on the western rail corridor.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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That is welcome news. As the Minister knows, work was done by Iarnród Éireann in clearing the line near Tubbercurry, on the section from Claremorris to Collooney. It would be good to get the line cleared. I fully agree with the Minister on that. At the same time, could engineering surveys be carried out in order to discover exactly what work will need to be done to replace, for example, farm gates, etc., and to draw up an engineering plan in order that we get an idea of the real cost of this project and how frequently the trains would run?

Will the Minister approach TII, which gave a firm commitment that it would replace the bridge at Ballyglunin, which was demolished as part of the building of the M17 motorway? Will it now proceed to rebuild the bridge? It was made clear by TII that it will come out of its funds and that funds had been set aside to do that work. Those are two further things that could be done immediately to progress this project. Neither will cost much money. It will not cost the Minister anything because it will come out of TII funds. Would the Minister be favourable towards doing those three jobs and really giving a signal to us that this will happen, not by 2030, but by 2025 or 2026?

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The bridge will cost something. The project will be paid for from the same budget that we need for a range of other projects. I have asked officials to contact TII. I have also asked them to look at that issue, because I was informed of it. We need to get clarity about the planning. I understand that it may have been a condition of the planning that the bridge would be reinstated in the event of the line being restored. We would have to adhere to the planning conditions.

In answer to the Deputy's fundamental question, we need to start looking at all the engineering details. My understanding is that the line is not in as degraded a condition as the Shannon Foynes to Limerick line was. It had been cleared over the years. It is reasonably intact. We need to look at all the engineering aspects so that we can start to prepare a business proposal for this. It is not in the existing NDP. It is not budgeted for. This will require shifting money around so that it can be afforded. I believe the shift to rail freight is key and will unlock the economics of this project. It is not just Athenry to Claremorris. It is about reopening the Rosslare line, about Dublin Port having to shift towards rail freight, and the same in Shannon Foynes. That is happening. The wider world is going in this direction. We can revive our rail system and the west of Ireland on the back of it.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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It is a good thing that I provided money for clearing that railway line when I did, back in the day, under CLÁR funding. I was always conscious of the fact that we needed to preserve rights of way that the State owned, whether dry canals, railway lines or any other infrastructure owned by the State. It should be kept free of encroachment by anybody.

The draft report of the strategic rail review stated that the railway line did not exist from Charlestown to Collooney. The Minister is aware, from pictures he has seen, that Ianród Éireann would totally disagree. It was actually cleaning that line recently. Does the Minister agree that the draft strategic rail review was incorrect in its assessment of the railway line from Claremorris to Collooney? Will he preserve the entire route in order that not only will it be connected to Ballina, it will also connect to an even bigger town or city, namely, Sligo?

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I echo the sentiments expressed by other speakers about utilising, to the greatest extent possible, the extensions of the western rail corridor to Sligo, which will cover a huge territory. In the interim, a survey could be carried out of the obstacles that are currently present. Bridges are being realigned and I agree with Deputy Ó Cuív that they are being realigned wrongly, because they are public rights of way which have been established for many years. To curtail them now would be wrong, but to curtail them into the future would be worse. I ask that, if at all possible, a survey be carried out to identify the obstacles that are already in place with a view to removing them.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The strategic rail review did a good job. There were further proposals for rail lines, particularly in the Border counties, running from Mullingar, through Cavan and Monaghan, towards Portadown. That is a strategically important route. We have to go back to the particular case from earlier. We have to be careful. We cannot do everything. While I would love to see a railway line reopen from Collooney to Claremorris, the review did not recommend it. I do not think we should give false promises. I do not see that coming. The preserving of the line is a separate matter, whether that is in the form of a greenway or making sure, as Deputy Ó Cuív said, that if there was a change in subsequent years where the line became viable, that the capability to use it is retained. That is not an easy issue in my mind with regard to the Collooney to Claremorris line. We will look at that with regard to how the line might be preserved.

Building new rail lines is incredibly expensive.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Upgrading an existing line can be at some point become akin to building a new line. The national investment framework for transport guides our spending decisions in the Department and uses existing assets as much as possible.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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That is where one can deliver more quickly. It underpins the strategic rail review.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. Bogaimid ar aghaidh anois go dtí an chéad cheist eile.