John McGahon (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to focus on the M1 corridor between Dublin and Belfast. Some 3.3 million people live in that part of the island of Ireland. It is expected to be 4 million people by 2030. It is paramount that high-speed rail becomes a key priority for that corridor. That is what I will put in my submission on the strategic rail review, when I take part in a consultation process. It should be a key priority because it is not just about creating jobs in Dublin and expecting everyone to commute there, but about having a two-way process. It is about being able to attract people from Dublin to come to work in Drogheda, or people from north County Dublin to come to work in Dundalk. It is also about encouraging people from Dundalk or that part of the north east to work in Belfast or Northern Ireland if job opportunities are provided there. It has to be a two-way street. If this project is meant to be successful by 2030, which I think it will be, it will be successful if we are able to balance the regions. We are creating jobs in those regions but we have to make sure that jobs are easy for people to take and accessible from where they are currently living. If we can do that, this project will be a total success.