Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State's response is somewhat positive. I think we all look forward to reading the All Island Strategic Rail Review. I think it will encourage a lot of debate about how we can more effectively use rail in this country. I think we could see the reopening of the railway line with a parallel greenway connecting to the very successful Waterford greenway operating over the course of this decade. I think we are now realising that the future is in rail. There is enormous potential there because there is a rail line currently in existence and, as the Minister of State said, it is being maintained quite well by Irish Rail at present.

We need to be ambitious. I certainly support the extension of the western rail corridor, but we need to look at connecting all these parts of the country. I think a real possibility now exists to reopen the south-east rail link as well to provide that link between Rosslare, Wexford and Waterford. I hope that, coming out of the strategic rail review, the Government will consider it positively.