Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport back to the House. He is always welcome back.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach.

Kieran O'Donnell (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for coming to the House after the amazing result yesterday when the decision was made to award the Rugby World Cup- to France. We were looking forward to welcoming the Irish team and others to Thomond Park. I hope it will happen at some stage in the future. The decision was amazing as Ireland's application was the best, bar none. The proposal made by the Minister; his Minister of State, Deputy Brendan Griffin, and the Taoiseach was by far the best.The issue I raise this morning is one that has been there for many years in the Limerick, Shannon and mid-west region. There is both a logistical and financial logic to providing a spur from Shannon Airport onto the existing Limerick to Galway rail line. I will put the issue in context. In 2004 when I was first elected as a member of Limerick County Council I was a member of the Mid-West Regional Authority and the issue was very much to the fore. The feasibility of the project was examined. Since that time there has been a significant investment in the Limerick to Galway rail line. Prior to 2010 the Limerick to Galway rail line was not in use. The Limerick to Ennis line was in use and there was a major upgrade from Ennis to Athenry costing in the order of €160 million. The line was reopened in 2010 so there is a functioning line in place and if a spur is added it will not only link Shannon Airport to Limerick but to Galway as well. Certain railway stations were upgraded, including Limerick, Cratloe, Sixmilebridge and Ennis. Sixmilebridge would appear to be the logical location for a spur to Shannon Airport which would involve a distance of approximately six miles. However, Cratloe, which is prior to Sixmilebridge is another option. A spur could be run along the existing road, the N18, into Shannon Airport. That would be a shorter distance.

I am looking ahead in terms of forward planning. I do not expect the project to happen overnight but it must be considered in terms of the overall public transport network, regional development and the serious issues that arise in the capacity of Dublin Airport. Shannon Airport has excess capacity available. We can deal with 4 million passengers and the current level is approximately 1.6 million. In the future we could have a super train commuting from Limerick to Dublin in an hour. Anyone flying into Ireland is willing to accept commuter time of one and half to two hours from their landing airport to their final destination. I want the Minister to build in the option into the transport plan. It should be examined as part of the overall review of Irish Rail, public transport and other related issues. We must have a counter-pull to Dublin along the western seaboard involving Limerick, Galway, Cork and Sligo.

I commend the Minister on the bravery of his initiative in allowing the M20 to go ahead in terms of pre-planning last November and his announcement that he is considering it as a priority project in terms of the capital plan. This initiative is feeding into that. In five to ten years' time we should have a spur on the existing Limerick to Galway rail line into Shannon Airport and passengers could then travel to both Limerick and Galway. That would be predicated on having a high-speed rail link from Limerick to Dublin. The plan is in the context of taking the burden off Dublin Airport and putting it on Shannon Airport in order to promote balanced regional development.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I will respond to Senator O'Donnell's remarks. I had hoped we would have this exchange in the context of Ireland having won the bid to host the Rugby World Cup. Unfortunately, we will not see any of those games in Thomond Park in 2023. I congratulate the French but the result was disappointing. This is the first opportunity I have had to speak on the issue since coming back from yesterday's meeting. I pay tribute to wonderful effort that was made. The fantastic bid we made was pretty well faultless and this country was recognised by world rugby as being a suitable and very good host for a world cup. All three candidates were considered to be in that category. We came out with our heads held high even if we were not the winners on the day.

Deputy O'Donnell has raised a very ambitious project. He is used to coming up with ambitious projects. He was the first person under my Ministry to raise the M20. He brought it onto our radar and to my notice in this House. His contribution to the project was influential in the Government's decision to bring it to the planning stage, which culminated in the announcement by the Taoiseach that the M20 will go ahead in the foreseeable future. It is indicative of the usefulness of debates of this nature, which on the surface relate to very ambitious projects due to the cost. However, raising the previous matter was influential in getting it going. If what I say to the Senator is depressing because of the figures involved he should not give up on it. Things change.

Kieran O'Donnell (Fine Gael)
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Yes.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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This is an ambitious Government which is not frightened of spending on infrastructure and is absolutely determined to do so. That said, we will not do anything irresponsible. Projects of this nature which have an intrinsic merit should be raised and taken seriously. Nothing is impossible.

As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding of public transport. The operation of the rail network is a matter for Iarnród Éireann. As the Senator indicated, in 2007 a feasibility study was carried out on behalf of Iarnród Éireann with input from a steering group representative of local interests on a rail link to Shannon Airport and it concluded that the economic case for the rail link was poor. The feasibility study indicated the cost of a Shannon rail link would range from €246 million to €440 million at 2006 prices, excluding enhanced onward links to Galway which were also assessed.

A Shannon rail link is not identified as a priority in the Government's capital investment plan, Building on Recovery 2016-2021. As Senator O'Donnell is aware, to say the least, Iarnród Éireann remains in a challenging position financially and has limited resources of its own available to fund new projects. That said, the role of heavy rail in Ireland's transport sector is currently under review. The National Transport Authority, NTA, held a public consultation process to start a national debate on the current and future role of rail transport in Ireland. The public consultation process was launched with the publication of a rail review report in 2016. That report is a comprehensive analysis of issues facing the rail network, including the level of funding required to support its maintenance and development. It highlights the considerable amount of taxpayer support currently provided to support the rail network and provides an overview of the estimated required amount of additional funding needed to support the network going forward. The report did not make any recommendations as regards the size of the rail network but does outline issues for consideration.

A consultation document, The Role of Rail in Ireland and Funding its Delivery, was also published. The consultation process elicited more than 300 submissions which have now been examined and the NTA submitted a report on those submissions recently. I will be considering the report and bringing it to Government. No decisions have been taken regarding matters such as the future of individual rail lines or investment in the company and relevant infrastructure.

As noted within the rail review report, its analysis predates the finalisation of the national planning framework, NPF, being developed at present under the leadership of the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government. Clearly, the role and potential of rail is intrinsically linked to where people live, work and wish to travel and those issues form the core of the framework. Once agreed by Government, the approach which that framework adopts toward land-use planning and settlement patterns for the country will have significant impacts on the potential of rail and other transport infrastructure and services into the future and will form an important context for consideration of issues raised by the rail review report and for any recommendations brought to Government. As the House will be aware, any future investment in the rail network is also dependent on availability of funding. The Government's recently announced budget 2018 provides for an increase in the multi-annual capital investment for public transport with a four-year capital envelope of €2.7 billion over the period 2018 to 2021, including investment of more than €400 million next year.This represents a 30% increase over the original capital plan allocations for 2018 to 2021 and includes increased funding for the heavy rail network. As I have outlined, my Department’s first priority under the capital plan is to ensure the maintenance of our existing transport infrastructure at steady state levels in order that it remains safe and fit for purpose.

Total funding of €860 million from 2018 to 2021 is being provided for the heavy rail maintenance programme. This programme protects investment already made in our national railway system by funding projects needed to maintain safety and service levels in railway operations. Work has begun on a ten-year capital envelope, and this will provide further clarity on the investment available for heavy rail projects in the future.

Kieran O'Donnell (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister. Today I want to plant a seed. I fully appreciate that there are issues in Irish Rail concerning existing infrastructure. I very much hope the Labour Court recommendation will bring about a resolution in Irish Rail. I am a great believer in public transport, especially rail transport, which I use. It has enormous potential. Broadband and mobile telephone coverage on trains need to be improved. What I have done today in proposing a spur from Shannon Airport to the existing Limerick-Galway rail link is plant a seed.

It is a project for the future. It is a question of looking outside the box, perhaps running a line alongside the existing motorway, the M18, or using land that may already be in public ownership along the route. Such land might have been acquired by the NRA many years ago. The proposal is very much to the fore.

With the M20, the Minister was willing to think outside the box and allow TII to get pre-planning under way. I have not before seen a Minister doing that. The proposal I am putting forward is in the same vein. I commend the Minister on the M20. I hope my proposal finds its way to becoming a project in the future based on proper, balanced regional development. Would it not be fantastic if people wishing to fly to Dublin, whom I hope would stay in Limerick because it is my home city, but who did not want to face the chaos of Dublin Airport flew into Shannon and got a train there with a view to being in Dublin in an hour and a half? That is what I am thinking outside the box. I am planting a seed.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The seed the Senator has sown is welcome. All seeds are welcome. Other seeds the Senator has sown and nurtured here will come to development. When the Senator put the ideas to me initially, I was not sceptical but felt it was difficult to realise them. The proposed project should be considered in that light. It will be for the future. I am not coming in here just to eliminate imaginative and ambitious projects of this sort and say they are out of the question; not at all. I referred to the financial difficulties associated with carrying out the project, which the Senator will understand, particularly considering the state of Iarnród Éireann. He should not rule out the possibility for the future and should keep pushing it.