Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Buttimer for raising this question and giving me the opportunity to discuss this topic with Members of the House on behalf of the Minister for Transport, who sends his regrets.

I have been advised that Iarnród Éireann’s operational fleet is currently fully deployed on scheduled services, in line with prevailing passenger demand. The current capacity on the rail network is primarily based on demand levels pre Covid, when rapid growth in demand resulted in the utilisation of 100% of Iarnród Éireann’s operational fleet at peak times. As it stands, I am given to understand that there are 14 services from Dublin to Cork each day on weekdays, with the first service departing at 7 a.m., and a further ten services from Dublin to Cork on weekend days.

The Cork route, as is common with those to other provincial cities, has a dominant demand for travel to Dublin in the morning peak, and from Dublin in the evening peak. Iarnród Éireann’s timetable is designed to service this demand as far as is practical. However, it is acknowledged that there are alternative travel demands to this established pattern, such as earlier departure times to Dublin, as referenced by the Senator. Fleet and driver resources would be required to provide additional services and it is something that could be considered in the medium term if demand was established and when new rolling stock expands Irish Rail’s operational fleet over the coming years.

Post Covid, passenger demand is suppressed in the short term, albeit showing gradual signs of improvement as we exit the Covid-19 pandemic. Significantly altered travel patterns are emerging and Iarnród Éireann intends to undertake an analysis of post-Covid travel trends across the network in late 2022, including the Dublin to Cork line, in order to review its service offering and adapt its timetable to meet customer demands. It is expected that this assessment, being undertaken in conjunction with the National Transport Authority, will take a number of months to finalise as new travel patterns become more established with a phased return to the workplace. This process will also take into account the delivery of 41 intercity railcar carriages, commencing from mid-2022. Once this analysis process has been completed, a timetable and capacity proposal will be prepared and issued for public consultation on Iarnród Éireann’s website.

Further, the national development plan that was launched by the Government in October 2021 will result in the introduction of additional public transport infrastructure which will help to relieve congestion on the network while also providing new rolling stock to provide greater capacity for Iarnród Éireann’s increasing passenger numbers into the future. An initial order of 95 electric and battery-electric carriages for the DART+ fleet was placed in December 2021. It is expected that the first 95 carriages will arrive from mid-2024, entering service on the rail network from 2025 and potentially freeing up existing commuter and intercity rolling stock for use on other routes across the rail network.

The strategic rail review, which the Senator referenced, is being undertaken in co-operation with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. This will inform the development of interurban and interregional rail on the island of Ireland over the coming decades. This will be one of the most significant reviews of the rail network on the island in many years, providing a framework to develop an improved rail network for our future. The review will consider the potential scope for improved rail services along various existing and potential future corridors of the network, including Cork to Dublin. The report is due to be finalised in the fourth quarter of this year.