Gerard Murphy (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 13: To ask the Minister for Transport the amount of funding allocated by his Department and drawn down by Irish Rail for the purchase of rolling stock each year from 1997 to date; if Irish Rail is seeking funding from his Department for the purchase of additional rolling stock; if so, the purpose for which it is seeking funding; the lines this rolling stock will service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15502/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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In total my Department provided some €214.12 million to Iarnród Éireann for the purchase of rolling stock in the period 1999-2004 as follows:

No funding was provided to Iarnród Éireann for this purpose in 1997 and 1998.

My Department is currently funding a programme of further rolling stock expansion involving the purchase of: 36 diesel multiple units, DMUs, which will come into service in late 2005-early 2006 and will increase the passenger carrying capacity on the Dublin outer suburban system and the Dublin to Sligo line; 80 diesel railcars, which are already in service and are being used on the Dublin outer suburban system; 36 DART carriages, which are already in service and which have brought the DART fleet up to a total of 156 units or just short of double the initial fleet of 80; 67 intercity carriages to be used on the Dublin to Cork route and which will be in service by mid-2006; and 120 regional railcars which will be used on the Dublin to Ballina, Westport, Galway, Limerick, Tralee and Waterford lines. The addition of these new units will see the removal from service of all older rolling stock and the provision of clock face timetabling on all intercity routes. These units are due to be delivered in 2007. Funding of some €55 million has been allocated from my Department's 2005 Estimate for rolling stock.

There are no specific allocations before my Department at present for rolling stock acquisition. However, longer term rolling stock requirements are being considered in the context of the multi-annual capital investment framework for transport, which is being finalised in my Department at present.