Michael Kitt (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Callely, for coming to the House and for his interest in the western rail corridor.

As the Minister of State is aware, the western rail corridor was closed down in 1975, more than 30 years ago. Sadly, successive Governments have not reopened any part of this line. I was very happy to be nominated to a western inter-county railway committee in 1979, 26 years ago. Fr. Micheál Mac Gréil was then and still is secretary to the committee. We received great help from the West-On-Track group. There is strong support in the west for the reopening of this rail corridor.

We were very disappointed when the strategic rail review did not issue a recommendation that this rail corridor should be reopened. The then Minister, Deputy Brennan, appointed a working group under Mr. Pat McCann, which recently produced a report. The Minister for Transport, Deputy Cullen, attended a conference in Breaffy House, Castlebar, to discuss this report. Mr. McCann has produced a very readable document. He does not beat around the bush. He examined the rail corridor and considered whether the project should be commenced as a total job or in phases. I hope the total line will be reopened for both passenger and freight traffic.

Mr. McCann commented that the line could be looked at in five stages: Ennis to Athenry, Athenry to Tuam, Tuam to Claremorris, Claremorris to Collooney. He proposed the addition of another section from Athenry to Galway which is technically not part of the western rail corridor but which would be a very useful commuter rail service. It would be necessary to restore the north-south crossover at Athenry and this issue was discussed when the crossover was taken away. I am pleased Mr. McCann recommends its restoration along with the improvement of Athenry station and new stations at Oranmore and Renmore with a potential for commuter services into Galway.

Mr. McCann came out in favour of the Ennis to Athenry line where the average cost would be €2.1 million per mile. He recommends this line could link up with other services including services to Galway, Limerick, Waterford and Cork. He also makes it clear he is impressed with the success of the Ennis to Limerick line which is in operation with a good number of trains.

Mr. McCann states clearly he regards the section of line from Claremorris to Collooney as requiring a capital cost of €197 million. This was a light rail service when first constructed and would require to be brought up to Iarnród Éireann standard of heavy rail. It would cost €24 million to create separations between two crossings on that section of line. I have an interest in this line which is in the CLÁR area. I suggest CLÁR funding should be requested for the most expensive and longest part of the line.

The Athenry to Tuam and Tuam to Claremorris stages of the line could be treated as one stage with a link to Galway because it is shorter in distance than the Claremorris to Collooney stage and would cost approximately €93 million. A commuter service should not be confined to servicing Galway and Claremorris; County Mayo would be an obvious starting point for a commuter service. These issues could be examined if the Minister were to provide the funding for the five stages as outlined in the McCann report.

The Minister of State will be aware of the traffic congestion on the roads leading to Galway city as I have raised the matter many times. The village of Claregalway is always mentioned regarding morning traffic jams. The N17 has the heaviest traffic in the whole country and a morning commuter service would be very welcome. The morning service from Athlone, through Ballinasloe and Athenry and on to Galway is a good example of how an early morning service could be of benefit. Those who take the 7 a.m. train from Athlone are in Galway by 8.15 a.m. I make the same case in respect of Sligo and the northern end of the line where a commuter service would be much appreciated and welcomed.

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. I look forward to positive news now that the McCann report has been published. I look forward to a debate in the House to discuss other issues related to the line.

Ivor Callely (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank my good friend and colleague, Senator Kitt, for raising this timely matter. Senator Kitt held my hand during my first weeks, months and years in the Oireachtas. He showed me the ropes and we shared an office.

Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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He did a good job.

Ivor Callely (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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He did not do too badly and I have much to thank him for.

Last June the then Minister for Transport, Deputy Brennan, set up the western rail corridor working group under the chairmanship of Mr. Pat McCann. The establishment of the working group was primarily intended to provide a forum where those individuals and organisations who had long been promoting the idea of the western rail corridor, such as Senator Kitt, could put their arguments directly to the chairman and debate the issues with Iarnród Éireann, CIE, the Department of Transport and all other interested parties.

Within the past week the Minister for Transport has received Mr. McCann's report. I join with the Minister in thanking him and all the other members of the group for all the work they have put into this process. The Minister has not had the opportunity to study the report in detail, but it is clear it displays a positive disposition towards the restoration of the western rail corridor, in line with Senator Kitt's view which he has expressed to me over the past years.

The report is timely as it affords the Minister and his officials the opportunity to consider its proposals in the context of the preparation of the multi-annual capital investment framework for transport currently under way within the Department. My officials are urgently examining Mr. McCann's report to ensure a complete appraisal in advance of the finalisation of the framework. Decisions relating to the future of the western rail corridor will be made within that process.

The concept of balanced regional development is integral to the national spatial strategy. The Government is fully committed to achieving such development in the west through record capital investment in all sectors, particularly the transport sector. This is particularly the case with regard to investment in public transport infrastructure and services. Some of the more significant rail projects carried out in the west in recent times, or committed for the near future, clearly demonstrate this. The rail infrastructure improvements carried out under the rail safety programme 2000-04 have upgraded all key rail lines into the west to continuous welded rail on concrete sleepers. In the region of €600 million was invested in the programme.

A new rail safety programme is currently being rolled out which will include improvements to level crossings, bridges and other track work on all lines. The rail resignalling project, known as the Mini-CTC, on the Dublin-Galway line was completed in June 2003 with the immediate effect of significant journey time reductions on services. The Sligo line is on target for completion of its resignalling project later this year and similar time savings will benefit users of that line. Resignalling work on the Westport and Ballina lines will begin in early 2006 with a completion date of 2007.

Due to the infrastructure upgrading, Irish Rail is now in a position to concentrate on introducing better timetabling and more frequent services with new improved rolling stock. With the arrival this year of new rolling stock to replace old stock and to expand the fleet — the Government has instigated the biggest ever purchase of rolling stock in the history of the State — rail passengers in the west can expect to see additional improvements in services.

This year Irish Rail expects to take delivery of 36 DMU railcars and most of these are due to be allocated to the Sligo route to replace life-expired rolling stock and to increase frequency and capacity. An order for a fleet of 120 new inter-city railcars has been placed by Irish Rail. These will enter service from 2007 onwards and will operate on the Galway, Westport and Ballina routes. At that point Irish Rail will be able to provide two hourly services on the Galway line and increased frequencies on the Westport and Ballina lines.

All of these investments testify to the Government's commitment to balanced regional development in the west and to delivering the infrastructure that will make such development a reality. Mr. McCann's report will be examined in the context of the Government's record on delivering balanced regional development in the west and as part of the process of finalising the multi-annual investment framework for transport.

I fully appreciate and accept the points raised by Senator Kitt and his Fianna Fáil colleagues in the west whom I have met on a number of occasions regarding the western rail corridor. They have certainly convinced me of the need to proceed with this project. As I said earlier, in the process of the multi-annual investment framework for transport, decisions will be made on the future of the western rail corridor. I hope to be in a position within a couple of weeks to return with favourable news on this to Senator Kitt and his Fianna Fáil colleagues who have pursued this issue for a number of months.