Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

In the Visitors Gallery are fifth year students from Nenagh. I welcome them to Leinster House today and hope they find their visit to the Houses of the Oireachtas beneficial.

I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me to raise the issue of the Dublin-Cork rail service. The Minister of State, Deputy Troy, is very welcome. As he will know, the all-Ireland rail review is currently being undertaken by the Department. The electrification of the rail line, provision of a new fleet and the need to meet our climate change targets are all important.

As we take a modal shift away from the car to public transport, it is opportune that the Cork commuter rail network is being progressed and advanced. That is why I welcome today what I hope will be a decision by Government to allow for the drawing down of €74 million of the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility to take place. The electrification and upgrading of the Cork-Dublin rail line is important. If we look at the national development plan, NDP, the strategic importance of Cork as a counterbalance to Dublin and Belfast has never been more critical.

That is why I am asking for the Government, as part of the all-Ireland rail review, to advance the frequency of the Dublin-Cork rail service in the context of the electrification of the tracks, to replace existing stock and to invest to improve the rail line to ensure greater frequency, especially at peak times. It is critical that we have a movement from an hourly to half-hourly service. As I said, the electrification of the line will reduce the journey time and increase the offerings for the travelling public. Linked to that is the need for an early morning train to Cork from Dublin. In 2022, I think we will all agree that a 9.30 a.m., 9.35 a.m. or 9.40 a.m. arrival time in Cork is not acceptable. The optimal time we should have the first train into Kent Station is well before 9 o'clock at 8.30 a.m. or 8.45 a.m. I ask that this be progressed as a matter of urgency. Mar fhocal scoir, I am asking for frequency at peak times to be increased, the plan for electrification to be expedited and the journey time be reduced to one hour and 30 minutes from its present time. I call on Government, in particular the Minister, Deputy Ryan, to look at electrification.

I appreciate the issue of fares is controlled by the National Transport Authority, NTA. The NTA must work with Government, the travelling public and the commuter to ensure a fare that is economical, encouraging and attracts people to travel by train.

These are exciting times for Cork with the commuter train network being advanced. I welcome the appointment of A.J. Cronin as the delivery manager for that. I look forward to the Minister of State's reply to what is a very important matter, not just for Cork but for the southern region.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Buttimer for raising this question and giving me the opportunity to discuss this topic with Members of the House on behalf of the Minister for Transport, who sends his regrets.

I have been advised that Iarnród Éireann’s operational fleet is currently fully deployed on scheduled services, in line with prevailing passenger demand. The current capacity on the rail network is primarily based on demand levels pre Covid, when rapid growth in demand resulted in the utilisation of 100% of Iarnród Éireann’s operational fleet at peak times. As it stands, I am given to understand that there are 14 services from Dublin to Cork each day on weekdays, with the first service departing at 7 a.m., and a further ten services from Dublin to Cork on weekend days.

The Cork route, as is common with those to other provincial cities, has a dominant demand for travel to Dublin in the morning peak, and from Dublin in the evening peak. Iarnród Éireann’s timetable is designed to service this demand as far as is practical. However, it is acknowledged that there are alternative travel demands to this established pattern, such as earlier departure times to Dublin, as referenced by the Senator. Fleet and driver resources would be required to provide additional services and it is something that could be considered in the medium term if demand was established and when new rolling stock expands Irish Rail’s operational fleet over the coming years.

Post Covid, passenger demand is suppressed in the short term, albeit showing gradual signs of improvement as we exit the Covid-19 pandemic. Significantly altered travel patterns are emerging and Iarnród Éireann intends to undertake an analysis of post-Covid travel trends across the network in late 2022, including the Dublin to Cork line, in order to review its service offering and adapt its timetable to meet customer demands. It is expected that this assessment, being undertaken in conjunction with the National Transport Authority, will take a number of months to finalise as new travel patterns become more established with a phased return to the workplace. This process will also take into account the delivery of 41 intercity railcar carriages, commencing from mid-2022. Once this analysis process has been completed, a timetable and capacity proposal will be prepared and issued for public consultation on Iarnród Éireann’s website.

Further, the national development plan that was launched by the Government in October 2021 will result in the introduction of additional public transport infrastructure which will help to relieve congestion on the network while also providing new rolling stock to provide greater capacity for Iarnród Éireann’s increasing passenger numbers into the future. An initial order of 95 electric and battery-electric carriages for the DART+ fleet was placed in December 2021. It is expected that the first 95 carriages will arrive from mid-2024, entering service on the rail network from 2025 and potentially freeing up existing commuter and intercity rolling stock for use on other routes across the rail network.

The strategic rail review, which the Senator referenced, is being undertaken in co-operation with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. This will inform the development of interurban and interregional rail on the island of Ireland over the coming decades. This will be one of the most significant reviews of the rail network on the island in many years, providing a framework to develop an improved rail network for our future. The review will consider the potential scope for improved rail services along various existing and potential future corridors of the network, including Cork to Dublin. The report is due to be finalised in the fourth quarter of this year.

Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply and acknowledge the positivity in it. It is imperative that Irish Rail delivers on an early morning train service from Dublin to Cork. A 7 a.m. departure time from Dublin is no longer acceptable or tenable. Notwithstanding the 14 daily services from Dublin to Cork, it is important we have delivery of that early morning train. The national development plan places Cork at its heart. Central to that is investment in an alternative to the car, which is public transport. If we are to complete that modal shift we need that early morning train from Dublin to Cork, which will serve Cork and its hinterlands.This would be economically positive for the region.

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I look forward to the all-Ireland review and to working with the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, on delivering this early morning train service from Dublin to Cork.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Senator is right to say that the Government recognises the importance of getting more people onto public transport. It is important for improving their quality of life and for the country meeting its obligation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by 2030. We have committed to making the largest ever investment in public transport as part of the national development plan, which was launched in October 2021.

I will report the Senator's points to the Minister. If we are serious about getting people to use public transport, we must ensure that we put services on at times that passengers need them for work and so on, not just at times that it suits to run them.