Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 1083: To ask the Minister for Transport the progress which has been made on the future of the Irish rail freight market; if he has sought to bring any competition into the market since it opened in January 2006; his views on promoting the transportation of organic farm produce from the west to restaurants in Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28694/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Since 1999, Iarnród Éireann has invested over 1.5 billion euro in rebuilding the railways, with Government and EU support for the investment programme. This has delivered improvements in new trains, upgraded infrastructure and customer facilities. While such investment has primarily focused on improving passenger services, the investment in improving rail infrastructure also has a direct beneficial impact on freight activities.

Iarnród Éireann has made progress in growing the rail freight business in areas where it holds a competitive advantage over road haulage, including mineral ore and pulpwood. For example Iarnród Éireann has:

increased the trainload pulpwood business by modifying surplus wagons and providing additional services for Coillte between the West of Ireland and the South East;

altered rail schedules and is currently providing three additional trains per week for Tara Mines with a potential to carry an extra 85,000 tonnes of lead and zinc between Navan and Dublin Port per annum,

modified surplus platform wagons to provide a trainload service for containers between Ballina and Waterford Port.

The position regarding competition in the rail freight market is that the European Communities (Access to Railway Infrastructure) (Amendment) Regulations, 2005 (S.I. 780 of 2005), allow for the opening of the freight market to competition from 1 January 2006, in the case of international freight, and from 1 January 2007 for domestic freight operations. No formal applications have been received by my Department to date, for a Railway Undertaking licence or for track access. The feasibility of transporting organic farm produce from the West of Ireland by rail is a matter for consideration in the first instance by those involved in the business and Iarnród Éireann.