Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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190. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if additional current and capital funding needed per the 2016 rail review report is accurate; his plans for future years in this regard (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52336/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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Last year the National Transport Authority (NTA) and Iarnród Éireann published the Rail Review Report 2016 on which the NTA held a public consultation. Over 300 submissions were received by the NTA in response to that consultation process which have now all been examined and the NTA submitted a report of those submissions to my Department.

Since the Rail Review was published, there have been significant developments in relation to the level of funding available for rail investment and services.  Budget 2017 allocated over €50m in additional funding to Irish Rail in 2017 bringing the total funding for the year to over €300m. This significant increase in funding allows for increasing investment in maintenance and renewal of the network and the rolling stock, and also to provide more funding for safety projects.  In Budget 2018 I secured an 8% increase in the overall Exchequer funding for PSO services across both the bus and rail networks.  That means that a total of over €285 million will be allocated in 2018 to support the delivery of these socially necessary but financially unviable services. Budget 2018 also provided for an increase in the multi-annual capital investment for public transport with a four-year capital envelope of €2.7 billion over the period 2018-2021 including an investment of over €400 million next year.  This represents a 30% increase over the original Capital Plan allocations for 2018-2021 and includes investment of over €1 billion in heavy rail maintenance and infrastructure.

When I have reviewed the NTA's report on the consultation process, and when the NTA has updated it to reflect the increased funding that has since been made available for both current subvention and, in particular, the Capital Plan 2018 to 2021, I intend to bring the NTA's document to Government for consideration and would expect that it would be published shortly thereafter by the NTA.