Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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275. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the efforts made to progress the recommendations of the all island strategic rail review; the amount of funding allocated in each of the years 2020 to 2025, by year, in tabular form, to progress its recommendations. [31729/25]

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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As the Deputy is aware, the All-Island Strategic Rail Review was undertaken by the Department of Transport in co-operation with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland.

The Review’s Final Report was published on 31st July 2024. The Review sets out 32 strategic recommendations to enhance and expand the rail system in Ireland and Northern Ireland up to 2050. The recommendations seek to transform the quality of the rail system to the benefit of passengers and wider society on the island, through additional track capacity, electrification, increased speeds, higher service frequencies and new routes.

Assisted by the European Investment Bank (EIB) Advisory Services, the Department of Transport and Department for Infrastructure, and agencies north and south, are working to progress the Report’s recommendations in the years ahead. As part of this work, a Project Prioritisation Strategy, which considers how best to optimise the sequencing and implementation of the Review recommendations, including both short-term interventions and longer-term projects, is at an advanced stage of preparation and is planned for publication later this year.

This work will inform the Department's engagement on the review of the National Development Plan (ND), which is currently underway. Once the NDP Review is complete, it will help provide clarity on the funding available to progress projects over the medium term.

It should be noted that that individual programmes and projects referred to within the final Review Report will be advanced subject to funding and relevant approvals, as required under the Infrastructure Guidelines in Ireland.