Vol. 419 No. 10
9 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Transport and Communications whether Iarnród Éireann have brought to her attention plans for an expansion/introduction of commuter services on the Leixlip, Maynooth, Kilcock, Enfield line; whether detailed plans and costs have been outlined; if a submission has been received in relation to capital requirements; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
I have been informed by the chairman of CIE that Iarnród Éireann are providing a range of commuter rail services on the Dublin-Mullingar line which serve Enfield, Maynooth, Leixlip, Louisa Bridge and Leixlip Confey and another five stations on the line into Dublin. There are no proposals under consideration in Iarnród Éireann to extend the range of these services. The question of re-opening the station at Kilcock is, under the Transport Acts, a matter entirely for Iarnród Éireann. The company have informed me that market research which they carried out in the area indicates that demand is insufficient to justify re-opening Kilcock station at this stage.
Will the Minister agree that modern transport techniques demand a further capital investment in Iarnród Éireann which can only come as a result of assistance from Europe? In that context, will the Minister agree that it might be advisable to ask Iarnród Éireann what their plans are, given the Kilcock and other ancillary services which may yet become necessary?
As the Deputy is aware, there is a strategic study into the future of the railways being carried out by CIE in consultation with my Department. In fact, a subsequent question tabled will deal specifically with that study. I have already said several times that I believe that the only way our public transport service, which includes the service referred to by the Deputy and services in the Dublin area, can be developed sufficiently is with the support of the European Commission. That is why we have been pursuing vigorously with the Commissioner the prospect of EC support being made available for the development of mainline rail and commuter services in the country as a whole.
Is that EC support being pursued in relation to specific services or by general application? A specific application is likely to be more successful. Would the Minister confirm that a survey carried out previously by Iarnród Éireann showed that there was not sufficient support for a service but those findings later proved to be untrue?
The application for EC funding and the discussions going on in relation to EC funding concerned, in the first instance, the Dublin-Belfast rail line. As the Deputy is aware, the outcome was very successful. We are now pursuing with the EC two elements, the south-west rail corridor and the light rail system for Dublin. In the context of the negotiations for further Structural Fund aid, we are also pursuing the possibility of EC funding for mainline rail. What I was saying earlier is that initially there needs to be a political decision made at home in Ireland about the way in which we should balance the infrastructural support from Europe between road development and public transport development.
Of course there is no chance of such a decision being made, is there?
In relation to the commuter services for Leixlip, Maynooth, Kilcock and Enfield, to which the Minister refers, will the 17 new rail cars which are being provided at a cost of £18 million serve that line?
No decisions have yet been made as to where the new 17 rail cars will be allocated when they arrive.
