Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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295. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will consider upgrading the east coast rail line between Belfast and Rosslare to increase capacity between Belfast, Dundalk, Dublin, Dún Laoghaire, Wicklow and Rosslare Europort as part of any review of the national development plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32417/20]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Deputy is aware that the Programme for Government – Our Shared Future commits toward a fundamental change in the nature of transport in Ireland and I believe that rail has a strategic role to play in achieving that change.

Following a recent Transport Sectoral meeting of the North South Ministerial Council, Minister Nichola Mallon, MLA, and I both agreed that our Departments should further develop draft terms of reference for a proposed study of rail speeds, to ensure the finalised terms of reference take sufficient cognisance of the need for balanced regional development.

I believe this study will allow for a full consideration of the strategic potential of rail, including the opportunities for high-/higher- speed rail where appropriate. This will be a significant study and my Department will work with the Department for Infrastructure Northern Ireland to finalise the terms of reference to allow for the procurement process commence and I look forward to the commence of the study in due course.

Obviously the Deputy is also aware of the multi-billion euro DART+ programme which will significantly expand commuter capacity, including along the DART+ Coastal lines from Drogheda in the North to Greystones in the South, while commuter rail will also benefit in advance of completion of the DART+ programme through the additional capacity to be delivered by the arrival of the 41 additional ICR carriages and the improved train management enabled across the network with the completion of the new National Train Control Centre.