Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail)
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I wish to raise once again the issue of the western rail corridor and the all-island strategic rail review that has been sitting in draft form on the desk of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, but has not yet been published. When I raised this matter a number of weeks ago, I was told by the Minister that he was not in a position to publish the document. He said that because it is an all-island strategic rail review, there is a need for an Executive and a Minister for Infrastructure to be in place in Northern Ireland because they have to publish the document jointly. I raise this matter because the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Heaton-Harris, has said he will not be calling assembly elections for another year, which would be January 2024. Now is the time for the Minister to reflect, change his position and publish, without further delay, the all-island strategic rail review in order that we in the South can advance our rail projects. Surely it is not reasonable or acceptable to delay the advancement of our rail projects while we wait for those in politics in Northern Ireland to get their act together. When will the all-island strategic rail review be published? When will we see the projects to which I refers being advanced and delivered? In that context, I am specifically interested in the western rail corridor and the line from Athenry to Claremorris.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator Chambers for the opportunity to address this issue. I would first like to outline the Minister for Transport's belief in the potential of rail. The Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options, and the rail network plays a key role in the delivery of this goal. As the Senator is aware, the Department of Transport, in co-operation with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland, has commissioned an all-island strategic rail review. The two Departments have collaborated closely throughout the review. The Ministers for Transport and Infrastructure have met on several occasions to launch the review, announce the public consultation and to be updated on the latest progress. The results of the review will inform the development of the railway sector on the island of Ireland over the coming decades.

The strategic rail review considers the future of the rail network with regard to the following ambitions: improving sustainable connectivity between the major cities, including the potential for high or higher speed rail; enhancing regional accessibility; and supporting balanced regional development and rail connectivity to our international gateways. The review is considering the scope for improved rail services and infrastructure along the various existing or potential future corridors of the network, including disused and closed lines, such as the western rail corridor, which the Senator made reference to. The review has been informed by a public consultation process, which concluded last year and which received a great response both North and South.

A draft report is being finalised. I have made inquiries WITH the Minister and his officials ,and I expect the Minister will receive a draft of the report within the next month. The draft report will be submitted for approval to both Ministers, as well as the Irish Government. After the necessary approvals have been secured, the Department of Transport will publish the report. Until the report is finalised, it would be premature to discuss publication arrangements or specific projects within the report. However, it is worth emphasising that this has been a collaborative effort between the two Departments from the outset. This is the first all-island review of the network since the formation of the State and will provide a framework to develop a much-improved rail network in the decades ahead. I look forward to its publication as I believe the review will provide an opportunity for transformative system change.

I feel it is also important that the Senator notes the huge investment already being made in our rail network. I note the point she raised in respect of the Northern Ireland Secretary. My understanding is that if the assembly is not restored by 18 January next year, he will then request an election within 12 weeks. We live in hope that it will be restored prior to that date. I note the Senator's point and it is a matter I will bring back to the Minister.

The DART+ programme will triple the amount of electrified track in the greater Dublin area from 50 km to 150 km, resulting in a lower carbon and higher capacity system, with more frequent and faster passenger services. I will just cover these projects generally. A ten-year fleet arrangement between Irish Rail and Alstom also received Government approval in December 2021. The rail network in Cork is benefiting from significant new investment. The Government also recognises the importance of the rail freight sector. I am pleased that funding has been announced for redevelopment of Ceannt Station in Galway and track and station improvements at Oranmore. Both projects are scheduled to be completed by 2024 or 2025. In November 2022, the Government approved the final business case for the Waterford North Quays project, allocating over €170 million in Exchequer funding to the project.

I thank the Senator for her interest in this matter and look forward to hearing her comments. I note the points she raised. I will come back on some of the other points in my concluding remarks.

Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate the Minister of State listening to the comments I made and responding to them because perhaps that was not information he would have been in a position to give. The Minister of State's response reads, "After the necessary approvals have been secured, the Department of Transport will publish the report." Can he please tell me what necessary approvals are required for the report to be published? He also said it would be premature to discuss publication arrangements or specific projects until the report is finalised. I do not agree that it would be premature to discuss publication arrangements. We can absolutely discuss publication arrangements. Is it the Minister's intention to publish when the report is finalised? What does he need in order to publish it?

As the Minister of State indicated, we hope that we will see an assembly and an Executive restored before next year but they may not be restored within the year. They may not be restored within the next five years. We have no idea. The idea that we would delay development of our projects and the publication of this worthwhile report, considering the public interest in it and the interest in contributing to the public consultation, and that we would sit back and wait for politics in the North to get its act together is absolute madness. The Minister of State has already alluded to the importance of this type of work. We have seen already the success of the western rail corridor in the Limerick to Galway section. The numbers continue to grow, despite all the challenges. The west of Ireland is a disadvantaged region when it comes to every metric. Whether it is public investment in infrastructure, our roads network or our rail network, we lag behind every other region. We need this project. In the west of Ireland, we would like to have public transport like everywhere else. We would like this rail connectivity. My question is very specific. What exactly are the necessary approvals in order to publish the report? What is needed? Is it the Minister's intention to publish once the draft is finalised?

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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The Senator's first question was about the approval process. As I said, a draft report is being finalised. The Minister expects to receive that within the next month. The draft report will be submitted to the Ministers for approval, as well as the Irish Government. The necessary approvals, based on what has been provided to me today, would be from both Executives, that is, the Government here and the Executive in the North. The Department will then publish the report. Until the report is published, it would be premature to discuss publication arrangements or specific projects within the report. That is the approval process.

Uniquely, the strategic rail review is being conducted on an all-Ireland basis, in full co-operation with our colleagues in the Northern Ireland Executive and at an official level within the Department for Infrastructure, to provide a holistic overview of the potential of rail on the island. The review is considering the scope for improved railway services and infrastructure along the various existing and potential future corridors, including disused and closed railways. It would be premature to commit to the reopening of the western rail corridor or any line before the review is finalised. It should be noted that the reopening of disused lines is endorsed by the review. A comprehensive body of work would still be required before any such decision is taken, in accordance with the public spending code and other guidelines and regulations. Reopening the line to passenger traffic would initially involve a detailed baseline survey to understand the requirements to bring the line back within operating safety and regulatory compliance.

As I said, the Government is not waiting to continue to invest in the rail network. I made reference to DART programmes and Cork commuter programmes in this regard. The Senator's points are well made. I will bring them back to the Minister.