Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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89. To ask the Taoiseach if a feasibility and costing study on the proposed high-speed rail line between Dublin and Belfast has begun (details supplied); and if so, the progress that has been made to date. [47727/17]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The draft National Planning Framework notes that the Dublin to Belfast Corridor is the largest economic agglomeration on the island of Ireland and the Government wishes to further support and promote its inherent economic potential. One of the ways in which this can be done is by enhancing the public transport connections within this corridor. We now need to carry out a proper assessment of how feasible it would be to upgrade the Dublin-Belfast line, what it would cost and how long it would take. That is what we now intend to do in the context of the forthcoming ten-year National Investment Plan which will accompany the finalised National Planning Framework.