Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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55. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when the all-island strategic rail review will be published; in particular, the plans and timetable on the western rail corridor; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22048/24]

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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When will the all-island strategic rail review be published? Specifically, I am asking about the planned timetable for the western rail corridor. I am asking this because what we have now is some kind of competition locally between the western rail corridor, on one side, and the Sligo greenway on the other. There should be no competition. We should know what the Government's plans are in this regard. Can the Minister please let us know?

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As I am sure the Deputy will be aware, the all-island strategic rail review has been undertaken by my Department in co-operation with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. The review will inform the development of rail on the island of Ireland in the coming decades to 2050, in line with net-zero carbon targets in both jurisdictions. Work on the review is now at an advanced stage and a draft report was published for a strategic environmental assessment, SEA, public consultation in July of last year.

The draft report makes 30 recommendations for the rail system across the island out to 2050.

Implementation of these recommendations will result in substantial improvements in the capacity, speed, frequency and reach of the rail system. Journey times by rail will be much reduced and frequency will increase to at least hourly between cities and every two hours on rural and regional routes. The network would be decarbonised including the development and revival of rail freight on the existing network, and also involving the electrification of the intercity routes. There would be the rehabilitation of disused lines, as well as new lines to the north midlands and north west, increasing the size of the rail network, widening accessibility and connectivity through rail.

As part of the draft review, work on reopening the section of the western rail corridor between Athenry and Claremorris is considered and is due to start before the end of this decade. All of this would at least double the market share of rail and enable it to be a stronger backbone of a sustainable public transport system for the people of Ireland.

The public consultation phase of the SEA process concluded on 29 September last year and submissions have been reviewed by officials from both jurisdictions. It is expected that a final review, taking account of the comments raised in the consultation, will be submitted for government approval in both jurisdictions shortly and that the final review report will be published immediately thereafter. I expect that to be concluded before summer recess here. We will co-ordinate with our colleagues in Northern Ireland in that regard. However, my intention is to publish and approve it as soon as possible and then to start the delivery process.

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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I thank the Minister. I have a long list of questions and replies going back to September 2021. It is nearly three years ago since he told me that the review was scheduled to be completed within 12 months. In November and December 2021, and October 2022, he told us that the review would be published shortly. This is going on for more than three years. I know there was a short delay because of what was happening in Northern Ireland but that is no excuse.

There is huge uncertainty about what is happening with the western rail corridor. The Minister mentioned Athenry. Is that the plan? Will he give us an indication of what may be in this rail review? Is it proposed to go further than Athenry? As I said there is a competition, which is crazy, between the possibility of building the rail corridor and greenways. We need to get that sorted. I want the Minister’s view on the Sligo greenway.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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It was not a short delay due to the absence of the administration in Northern Ireland. I wish it had been short but it took a long time.

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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Three years?

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Well, for the guts of two years the Assembly was not in place and the administration in the North was not in place.

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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So it is their fault, okay.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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No, but that is just the reality. The reopening of the western rail corridor is of vital strategic importance for the national planning framework and better balanced regional development in our country. It should include the section between Athenry and Claremorris. It does not propose an extension to Sligo. However, the reopening from Athenry to Claremorris is of huge benefit because effectively it creates a western rail corridor running all the way from Ballina right down the west coast down to the south east. It would require the reopening of the Rosslare line as well. That gives us the capability of reviving rail freight, which is going to be critical for the development of the west, and also meet our decarbonisation targets. That is contended. Some people argue against that and do not believe it is economically viable and hold that it does not have a future. I believe it does. We need to make a decision quickly.

I have commissioned the European Investment Bank to advise us on the ordering and the priority that we would apply to the many, various projects set out in the strategic rail review. That work has started. As soon as the review is published, it will help us to start making investment decisions that favour the west, favour decarbonisation and the revival of rail freight, which would also then allow passenger services to follow. That will be a political decision. Other political parties have different views on that possibility and that should be the centre of our discussions because it will be the allocation of funding and the timing of the projects that will be key. The western rail corridor should be given first and top priority.

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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I am delighted to hear it. I have not heard any political party or any politician argue against it.

The Minister is talking about bringing it as far as Claremorris but then says nothing more after that. I am trying to clarify, in this rail review and Government plans, whether that is as far as it will go. There is an argument locally about the Sligo greenway and whether that should go ahead. Iarnród Éireann said that if a greenway is built, and it is now at the end of stage 2, it will be built under licence and if at any time in the future it is to be used as a rail line, that would immediately revert to Iarnród Éireann. We do not want to miss the opportunity of building the greenway with some sort of never-never promise of a rail link coming to Sligo. I want clarity from the Government on this matter.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I have been clear in my position for the past two years and particularly since the publication of the review. It does not include the extension of the rail corridor from Claremorris north east towards Sligo. That makes a strong case for the use of that line as a greenway, as the Deputy suggested, and the benefit of that is we would be able to hold a line so that, if at some future date it was needed as part of this rail revival, the line would be in place. We should be looking at the use of such a line as a greenway. It is not going to be included in the plan as a railway line and therefore that makes sense.

I said there are different views. The revival of rail freight, and considering the western rail corridor in that context, unlocks it economically and also allows us to put passenger services after that. The economics of that decision and the viability of the revival of rail freight is very contested. We need a public debate on that.

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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Nobody in the west is arguing.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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There are indeed different voices in that regard. That will need to be clarified in the coming months when we come to priority decisions around whether we make this strategic leap towards supporting the west and supporting rail freight.