Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The All-Island Strategic Rail Review is being undertaken by the Department of Transport in cooperation with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. It will inform the development of the railway sector on the Island of Ireland over the coming decades.

The Review is considering the future of the rail network with regard to the following ambitions: improving sustainable connectivity between the major cities (including the potential for higher/high-speed rail), enhancing regional accessibility, supporting balanced regional development, and rail connectivity to our international gateways. This includes the role of rail freight and consideration of the growth potential of the rail freight market.

Work on the Review is now at an advanced stage and a draft report was published for the purposes of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) public consultation in July. Extending services to include passenger services along the existing Navan-Drogheda rail line is not included in the recommendations in the draft Review. The public consultation phase of the SEA process concluded on 29th September and submissions are now under review by the Project Team and officials from both jurisdictions.

Following the SEA process and finalisation of the report, it is expected that it will be submitted for the approval of the Minister for Transport and Government, as well as to the Minister for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. Should there continue to be an absence of Ministers in the NI Executive, approval will be considered taking into account the decision-making framework set out in the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc.) Act 2022 or relevant legislation in place at the time.

The issue of a rail link to Navan was examined as part of the National Transport Authority’s (NTA) review of the Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area (GDA). The Transport Strategy for the GDA 2022-2042 was published by the NTA in January 2023, following my approval. It is a multi-modal long-term transport strategy for the region and one that must be reflected in relevant land-use strategies across the GDA.

A Navan rail link is included in the GDA Transport Strategyas one of the proposed projects to be delivered. As it stands, the Strategyproposes delivery of the Navan rail line in the medium term, from 2031-2036. A project of this scale will require significant planning and design before construction can commence. It is expected that this planning and design will commence in the second half of this decade under the National Development Plan funding envelope out to 2030.

Noting the NTA's role in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for a direct reply. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 days.