Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

628. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when the report based on the NTA public consultation on rail here will be due for publication. [16017/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

​As the Deputy is aware, a public consultation process held by the National Transport Authority to start a national debate on the current and future role of rail transport in Ireland  was launched in November 2016. The public consultation was launched with the publication of a Rail Review 2016 report-which examined the funding required to support the heavy rail network both now and into the future-together with a consultation document " The Role of Rail in Ireland and Funding its Delivery". The process concluded on the 18th January 2017.

The NTA is now in the process of analysing the 330 submissions received from elected officials, stakeholder groups and the public. I expect that the resulting consultation report will be produced in Quarter 2 of 2017. When I have had an opportunity to consider its contents, I will report back to Government on the outcome of the consultation process and my overall approach.