Kieran O'Donnell (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for coming to the House after the amazing result yesterday when the decision was made to award the Rugby World Cup- to France. We were looking forward to welcoming the Irish team and others to Thomond Park. I hope it will happen at some stage in the future. The decision was amazing as Ireland's application was the best, bar none. The proposal made by the Minister; his Minister of State, Deputy Brendan Griffin, and the Taoiseach was by far the best.The issue I raise this morning is one that has been there for many years in the Limerick, Shannon and mid-west region. There is both a logistical and financial logic to providing a spur from Shannon Airport onto the existing Limerick to Galway rail line. I will put the issue in context. In 2004 when I was first elected as a member of Limerick County Council I was a member of the Mid-West Regional Authority and the issue was very much to the fore. The feasibility of the project was examined. Since that time there has been a significant investment in the Limerick to Galway rail line. Prior to 2010 the Limerick to Galway rail line was not in use. The Limerick to Ennis line was in use and there was a major upgrade from Ennis to Athenry costing in the order of €160 million. The line was reopened in 2010 so there is a functioning line in place and if a spur is added it will not only link Shannon Airport to Limerick but to Galway as well. Certain railway stations were upgraded, including Limerick, Cratloe, Sixmilebridge and Ennis. Sixmilebridge would appear to be the logical location for a spur to Shannon Airport which would involve a distance of approximately six miles. However, Cratloe, which is prior to Sixmilebridge is another option. A spur could be run along the existing road, the N18, into Shannon Airport. That would be a shorter distance.

I am looking ahead in terms of forward planning. I do not expect the project to happen overnight but it must be considered in terms of the overall public transport network, regional development and the serious issues that arise in the capacity of Dublin Airport. Shannon Airport has excess capacity available. We can deal with 4 million passengers and the current level is approximately 1.6 million. In the future we could have a super train commuting from Limerick to Dublin in an hour. Anyone flying into Ireland is willing to accept commuter time of one and half to two hours from their landing airport to their final destination. I want the Minister to build in the option into the transport plan. It should be examined as part of the overall review of Irish Rail, public transport and other related issues. We must have a counter-pull to Dublin along the western seaboard involving Limerick, Galway, Cork and Sligo.

I commend the Minister on the bravery of his initiative in allowing the M20 to go ahead in terms of pre-planning last November and his announcement that he is considering it as a priority project in terms of the capital plan. This initiative is feeding into that. In five to ten years' time we should have a spur on the existing Limerick to Galway rail line into Shannon Airport and passengers could then travel to both Limerick and Galway. That would be predicated on having a high-speed rail link from Limerick to Dublin. The plan is in the context of taking the burden off Dublin Airport and putting it on Shannon Airport in order to promote balanced regional development.