Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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1611. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if it is his Department's policy to expand rail freight here; the measures being taken to achieve this; and if his Department has considered a subvention to reduce rail access charges for freight. [1857/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I am committed to the expansion of the rail freight sector.  Shifting goods from road to rail has many benefits.  The emissions produced by carrying goods by rail are between 70% and 90% less than those generated by carrying the same goods by road, the removal of HGVs from roads reduces congestion, and growing the rail freight sector maximises use of the state's rail infrastructure. However, I recognise that rail freight is, of course, less flexible than road haulage, and due to Ireland's relatively small rail network, and relatively short distances, rail will not replace road haulage as the dominant mode for the movement of goods, but I believe that it can grow from its currently very low market share of just over 1% of the total freight tonnage in Ireland. Iarnród Éireann has an ambitious, but achievable, plan to grow this market share to 5%.  Iarnród Éireann is currently the only rail freight service provider in the Irish market, and provides this service on a commercial basis.  The rail freight sector was opened to competition in 2007, and my officials will be happy to discuss market access with any interested parties.

The National Transport Authority is currently holding a public consultation on the Rail Review, which was launched in November 2016.  The public consultation includes consideration of rail freight, and the results of this consultation will inform my Department's development of rail freight policy. 

With regard to the level of track access charges for rail freight, this is one of the key interventions which will be considered as a way to promote use of rail freight, by making it a more attractive choice for freight transport.