Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 230: To ask the Minister for Finance the meetings held with the Department of Transport regarding the provision of time slots by Iarnród Éireann to accommodate two sugar beet trains from the Portlaoise depot to Mallow in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14417/05]

Tom Parlon (Laois-Offaly, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I met officials from Iarnród Éireann on two occasions regarding the provision of a beet depot in Portlaoise. A representative of mine met Iarnród Éireann on three occasions and was in constant communication with them regarding this issue.

The first meeting took place on 8 February 2005. At this meeting Iarnród Éireann stated that Portlaoise was the preferred site of Iarnród Éireann, from a technical and efficiency point of view, for a rail depot to transport beet to Mallow. Subsequent meetings took place at the proposed site of the rail depot in Portlaoise, which were attended by the area manager and senior engineer from Iarnród Éireann. In a subsequent letter to me, Iarnród Éireann outlined that subject to certain conditions, it would be possible to run six trains per day from Portlaoise to Mallow, each with a capacity of 560 tonnes. However on the insistence of Irish Sugar and with the agreement of the Irish Farmers Association it was decided to locate the depot at Milford on the Waterford rail line.

I have spoken to the Minister for Transport, Deputy Cullen, and officials in his Department regarding this issue on a number of occasions. On 27 April 2005 I wrote to the Minister to specifically outline my concerns at the hazardous increase in trucks, approximately 400, on the road to transport beet to Mallow in the absence of a rail depot servicing the Carlow factory catchment area. A meeting has been arranged for Thursday, 5 May 2005 between officials from Iarnród Éireann, Members of the Oireachtas from Laois and Offaly and representatives from the Irish Farmers Association to discuss the matter further.