Tom Morrissey (Progressive Democrats)

I welcome the Minister to the House to hear the views of Senators, including the excellent views which have been presented already. I commend the Minister on the excellent start he has made in dealing with his new portfolio. He has brought energy and enthusiasm and has shown a willingness to tackle major issues. He has introduced the penalty points system, he is dealing with the policy of building a second terminal at Dublin Airport and he is tackling the problems of public transport. He has demonstrated a real determination to get things done and will need all that determination if he is to make a real success of our rail transport system.

It is widely recognised that the rail network was abandoned or forgotten about by successive Governments over many decades and it is only in recent years that we have had notable initiatives such as the DART, the improvement of the Dublin-Belfast line and the Dublin suburban network. These changes began only in recent years. The then Minister, Senator O'Rourke, secured from Government the funding package necessary to renew and revitalise those railway networks and the ambitious programme of work of laying new track and installing new signalling. One wonders what sort of railway line we would have now if that work had not commenced some years ago.

I heard Senator O'Rourke say there was talk of stopping rail freight in recent years. It is unimaginable, when one drives out of Dublin on any radial route, that there not a need for rail freight services. Such services can surely capture a slice of the market.

I know from my own business experience that if one uses the rail freight system, it is certain that one's goods will get to Cork by 5.15 p.m. and one can assure one's client they will be there at that time. Currently, one has to ring a courier in Dublin to know at what time he can call. First, he will determine the location, whether to come first or last in his day's work, and when he will deliver. This morning I rang somebody from Dundalk to collect from Mulhuddart and deliver to Balbriggan and he said he would leave it until Monday. It merely involved a delivery to Balbriggan on a new road network.

We have primarily a distribution service economy. That is the way the country is developing. If we are to abandon freight transport by rail, then we will have no competition and a consequent increase in the numbers and expense of heavy goods vehicles on our road network.