Joanne Collins (Sinn Fein)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the all-island strategic rail review and to put on record the needs of Limerick and the greater mid-west when it comes to rail. I also welcome the all-island approach taken by the review. For far too long, transport planning has stopped at the Border, and too often it has actually stopped at the M50. For decades, successive Governments have presided over line closures, chronic underinvestment and a transport policy that overwhelmingly prioritised Dublin and its commuter belt. That is not balanced development; it is centralisation by neglect.

Limerick has the potential to be a true rail hub for the mid-west, connecting the western seaboard, the south and Dublin. The review identifies routes such as Limerick–Galway, Limerick–Cork and Limerick–Ballybrophy, but until we have new rolling stock and proper investment, those ambitions will remain promises on paper.

We are told that additional trains will not arrive until 2027 because the DART+ project will take priority. Once again, it is to stop at the M50. Limerick commuters already face overcrowding. Their link to Cork is irregular and the link to Dublin is painfully slow. A rail link to Shannon Airport is only a concept on paper, yet Dublin Airport, even with all its resources, will not see heavy rail until the 2040s. After decades of campaigning, the Foynes line is finally reopening, but only for freight. Passenger services will have to follow. The Foynes–Limerick line could be the backbone for the mid-west commuter network, linking people to jobs, education and Shannon Airport eventually.

The Dublin–Belfast economic corridor shows what ambition actually looks like: six ports, two airports, strong road and rail services, and growing cross-Border co-operation. Investing in high-speed rail along this corridor could reduce congestion, cut emissions and open up opportunities North and South. That is the real meaning of an all-island economy. However, to achieve balanced growth, that same ambition must reach Limerick, the west and the north west. Since the review was published, the Government has had several chances to act, yet the national development plan review contained nothing new for regional rail. The only big announcement was MetroLink but, again, it stops at the M50. The Minister of State is going to be sick of me saying that.

Budget 2026 included no new capital funding for rail. There was even talk of fare hikes. Raising fares while failing to expand regional services is not policy; it is punishment for living outside Dublin. There is a theme to my speech. We need to maintain the fare reductions and at the same time extend them to rural and regional services so no community is left behind.

Sinn Féin’s vision is a rail system that connects every part of this island – from Foynes to Derry, from Cork to Collooney and from Belfast to Dublin. Having the Dublin–Belfast economic corridor as the northern spine for transport and opportunity means completing the western rail corridor to Sligo, reopening the Navan line and giving cities like Limerick the same level of investment and ambition that Dublin has enjoyed for decades.

I do not often take the train. The first time I took a train, I was 15 years old, and the second time I took one was in February of this year to come to Dublin. I drive everywhere because I live in County Limerick. There is no public transport that can get me to where I need to go. If I want to go to Sligo from Limerick by train, I first have to drive for 45 minutes to get into Limerick city because there is no train station near me. I then have to go from Limerick station to Dublin, get off at Heuston Station to travel to Connolly Station, and then get a connection to Sligo. It takes seven hours to go from Limerick to Sligo by train. It is not right or fair to people living on that side of the country. It is crazy to think you would have to seven hours travelling to Sligo if you wanted to go there to see family or for another reason. It is no wonder people are still driving. We need a rail system that suits every part of this country.