PJ Murphy (Fine Gael)

It is nice to be able to speak about balanced regional development with a Minister who is also from the west.

As my colleague just mentioned, in the north west we have indeed 17.6% of the nation's population. As was also mentioned, between 2016 and 2024, our share of investment in public tenders worth more than €1 million was a mere 9.9%. To make matters worse, between 2016 and 2024, our share of investment in public tenders worth more than €20 million was a paltry 5.7%. Coming from a place called Ardrahan in south Galway, the very southern end of the western region, my own village benefited some years ago from the reopening of the first phase of the western rail corridor between Limerick and Athenry. Despite considerable negativity about the project at the time, it has proven to be a very successful and transformative project for my area and other villages that have been serviced by it. Phase 2 of the western rail corridor between Athenry and Claremorris is a shovel-ready project as the Minister knows, and I know he is a great supporter of that project. The land is under State ownership and the estimated cost is approximately €20 million. That is one tenth of the cost of delivering the same stretch in km of motorway. It would serve Claremorris, Tuam and, quite importantly, Abbeyknockmoy, which could provide a park and ride hub to Galway city for commuters coming from the Roscommon side. Phase 2 of the western rail corridor is something that must be progressed as a matter of urgency.

In phase 3 of the western rail corridor between Claremorris and Sligo, and I must add that Sligo is the second largest town in Connacht, again all land required for the reopening of this section of rail is under State ownership. An eight-minute shuttle bus journey between Charlestown station and Knock Airport terminal would provide a service that is found in every modern airport throughout Europe. On that note, when we talk about shuttle buses between rail stations and airport terminals, since the opening of the first phase of the western rail corridor between Limerick and Athenry, we have still not seen a shuttle bus put in place between Sixmilebridge Station and Shannon Airport terminal. Not only should that shuttle bus be long in place, we should be gone beyond that. We should be looking at light rail infrastructure by now between Sixmilebridge and the Shannon Airport terminal.

Recently, as the Minister knows, the north west was redesignated by the European Union as a lagging region. We need urgent measures to ensure we in the north west get our fair share of the pie. The infrastructure I have spoken about in the western rail corridor is shovel-ready. It is widely expected that it will form part of the national development plan. We must have no further postponements of this. I know the Minister is a supporter of this project. He is a west of Ireland man and I urge him to proceed with this project as a matter of urgency and use all his influence within the Cabinet and the transport Department, etc., to ensure this much-needed project for the west of Ireland proceeds as a matter of urgency.