Michael Kitt (Fianna Fail)

I am sure the then Minister, Peter Barry, did his best but Iarnród Éireann, unfortunately, had, and always has, a very negative attitude. We will have a battle with Iarnród Éireann to try to provide this service which is so badly need.

When I think of the railway lines and safety, I think of the Asahi plant in Mayo and the dangerous goods which were transported to it by rail. It was very important to have a railway there. Even with the railway line, there was the odd accident. Of course, there were similar accidents on the road involving Asahi. I have always made the point that with the growth of the timber industry in the north west and west and with plants such as Masonite in Carrick-on-Shannon, Clonmel and Waterford, there is a strong case to be made for bringing timber goods along the line from Sligo to Limerick and down to Waterford. It is still my ambition and, I am sure, that of the Government to try to divert as much timber to the railway line because probably too much of that product is being transported by road. The same could be said for cement, coal and other products.

I am glad Senator Finucane referred to freight. However, I am also concerned about the way many of the level crossing at smaller railway stations have been changed. I am sure it is a great idea for a computer to open and close gates at railways stations, and I am all for the use of computers. I am not sure how this will work given the current delays in services. It will be all well and good if trains arrive on time but it is hard to beat a level crossing manned by a local person. Is the Minister of State happy with the conversion to the automated system? Unfortunately, many rail accidents involve cars and other vehicles and many questions remain regarding such accidents.

I refer to the train station at Athenry, County Galway. Every station has a turnout, which allows trains to switch tracks. For a reason that has never been explained, the turnout was removed at Athenry Station a number of years ago. We fought hard for this decision to be reversed but we were told that could not happen. However, it must be changed because Transport 21 provides that the Ennis to Athenry rail line should be open by 2009 at the latest. The turnout must be addressed first.

The provision of a service between Ennis and Athenry and, ultimately, Galway to serve north Clare and south Galway is important. We are lucky an early morning service is provided between Athlone and Galway serving Ballinasloe, Woodlawn and Athenry but I support the provision of additional stops at Oranmore and Renmore, which have large populations. People in these areas would welcome a commuter service. Such a service should be provided in Galway, given the important role it would play for commuters and students who currently cannot reach Galway city by train until 10.15 a.m. at the earliest, as they are dependent on the train from Dublin. Such issues must be examined.

The legislation provides for matters relating to light rail and the metro and, for that purpose, proposes to amend the Transport (Railway Infrastructure) Act 2001. Ambitious and welcome plans have been announced for a metro and Luas and DART extensions in Dublin. The spur to Dublin Airport is particularly important, given that Dublin must be the only capital city in Europe without a rail link to its airport. I attended a conference in London two weeks ago and my travel options from Heathrow Airport to London city centre were amazing. They were also available at reasonable prices. The frequency of service and fares are issues that can be dealt with later.

I have been a member of the western inter-county railway committee, which was set up by Fr. Micheál MacGréil, since 1979. Even though I resigned from the county council in 1991, the committee was good enough to co-opt me. The committee is glad that it will have a presence on the western rail corridor implementation committee and I hope Fr. MacGréil will take up this position. If the rail corridor programme is to be fast tracked and the line extended to Claremorris, such representation will be needed. I also hope the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs will be represented on the implementation committee, given that the Department has been heavily involved in the western rail project. Last Tuesday the Minister spoke in Claremorris about his role and that of his Department in securing the extension of the line north of Claremorris to Collooney through the erection of fencing and the removal of undergrowth. A positive outcome of the decentralisation programme is the move of the National Roads Authority to Ballinasloe and the railway commission's offices to both Ballinasloe and Loughrea. This will greatly benefit the west.

I am delighted that most of the roads projects under the national development plan are coming in ahead of their deadlines. The Loughrea road project has been completed a few months ahead of its deadline. I had the honour of walking the new road last Monday with other Oireachtas Members and county councillors to raise money for Loughrea Lions Club and Loughrea Athletic Club. It was historic to walk the road before its official opening in three weeks. It is an excellent road, which has been very much welcomed by the people of Loughrea, who have experienced gridlock for many years.

Railway safety is an important issue and I hope the Minister of State will respond to the issues I raised regarding level crossings, signalling and the transport of goods such as timber, cement and coal on the rail network.