Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 1 Jul 1998

Vol. 493 No. 4

Adjournment Debate. - Rail Network.

Mr. Foley

I welcome the recent allocation by the Minister for Public Enterprise, Deputy Mary O'Rourke, of £10 million for the Killarney-Mallow rail line, which will permit the upgrading of the remaining 25 miles to continuous welded track. This upgrading will save ten minutes of journey time to Dublin. However, I am bitterly disappointed she did not provide a similar sum for the Tralee-Killarney rail line, which has been the subject of previous representations by me and my colleagues in north Kerry in recent years.

I raised this issue on 18 November 1997, following the derailment at Ballyhar, County Kerry, which was the second of its kind in recent months. I wish to highlight the pressing need for immediate action on this rail network. A number of accidents have occurred on this line in recent years and unless recognition is given to existing problems and plans are put in place to address them there will be other accidents.

There are five provincial trains out of Tralee and one outgoing freight train daily. There are six incoming passenger trains plus one incoming freight train daily. The average number of passengers travelling daily into Tralee is between 450 and 550 and the number travelling out of Tralee daily averages between 370 and 450. Approximately 150 students attending Tralee Regional College travel in and out of Tralee at weekends. Tralee Casement Station has a staff of approximately 30. The number of people travelling in and out of Tralee on the trains has increased in recent years.

The lines from Dublin-Belfast, Dublin-Cork, Dublin-Limerick and half way to Galway have continuous welded track while large sections of track on other lines are jointed. The significance of this is highlighted by the fact that of the nine derailments in the past five years only one, which has occurred on welded track, was due to a fault in the carriage. The trains which operate on the rest of the country's lines seems to be running on a wing and a prayer, and have led to what people call an accident waiting to happen.

Given that £10 million has been provided for the Killarney-Mallow line, I am concerned about the Tralee-Killarney line. Is it intended to close down the Tralee-Killarney line? Tralee is a major tourism town. Tremendous developments have taken place in the town during the past ten to 15 years including the development of new hotels, tourism infrastructures such as the Aquadome-Waterworld, Geraldine Experience, Blennerville windmill, steam train, sports complex and so on. A major regional college has been upgraded and in the next few months a new technology park development park will be under construction. Time does not permit me to refer further to the various developments in Tralee. For this reason, an effective and efficient rail system out of Tralee is an integral part of the local infrastructure.

While the significance of rail travel in Ireland may have declined in recent years, it still fulfils an important role in many aspects of Irish life. The opposite is the position in Tralee where passenger numbers have increased. For this reason, rail travel still remains the mode of transport for some of our industries and the many tourists visiting Tralee and north Kerry. In areas similar to County Kerry, where tourism is a major industry the provision of a rail network is important. I appeal to the Minister of State to clarify the position regarding funding for the Tralee-Killarney line, to respond in a positive manner and thus secure the future of Tralee Casement station and its staff.

Mr. Jacob

In recent years there has been a renewed emphasis on the importance of the railways. This is underlined by the substantial rail investment programme under way which is partly financed by the EU. Total investment in the mainline rail network will amount to approximately £275 million under the 1994-99 programme agreed some time ago. This investment is focused on track renewal, the installation of modern signalling systems and the purchase of rolling stock. The investment will result in increased safety as well as substantial operating cost, and journey time, savings. In future years there will be a need for continued investment in the railways.

Due to significant under investment over the years, the capital requirements of the Irish railway network are very significant. Córas Iompair Éireann recently submitted a review of mainline rail investment needs to the Department, amounting to some £460 million, in the context of securing EU or other funding in the post-1999 period. The review identified a need for further evaluative work, particularly an economic and financial appraisal of the proposed investment and this work is in hand. When this appraisal and the parallel review of railway safety are completed in the autumn the Minister intends to bring a comprehensive package of proposals to Government for consideration. This can also take account of possible EU funding for the post-1999 period.

When one speaks of rail investment needs the primary consideration has to be the safety of the railway. Deputies will be aware that the A.D. Little rail safety study, undertaken for Iarnród Éireann, has drawn attention to infrastructural investment needs for the railway in this context. The conclusions of that report are being examined both in the Department and in Iarnród Éireann. The Minister has asked the board of CIE to urgently prepare a safety investment plan and she intends to bring this to Government as soon as it is ready.

In considering railway projects for inclusion in the existing EU programme the consultants, retained by the EU Commission, found that given the low rate of economic return on the Tralee-Mallow line, a greater concentration of track upgrading on the Mallow-Killarney section would improve the economic viability of the investment. Consequently it recommended co-financed investment for track improvement on the Mallow-Killarney section of the line. While we might all wish otherwise, this decision is one we have had to live with. However, I am happy that the available investment resources, including those of Iarnród Éireann, are being used to the best effect in terms of improved quality of service to all users of the railway.

When it became evident that it would not be possible to utilise the EU funding allocated for Luas in the period up to end-1999 the Minister set out to ensure that as much of that funding as possible was reallocated for public transport projects. In these circumstances there would be a range of competing demands for the available resources. It would never be the case that the entire £114 million would be reallocated for public transport purposes and I consider it a very successful day's work that we managed to secure £70 million of this funding for bus and rail services.

When the question of a reallocation of the EU assistance de-committed from the Luas project arose, the Department submitted a list of alternative projects to the Commission for consideration. This included the upgrading of trackwork on the Mallow-Killarney and Killarney-Tralee sections. The package agreed included the renewal works on the Mallow-Killarney section. One of the key considerations in selecting projects for the reallocated aid was that the work would have to be contractually committed before end-1999 and completed before end-2000.

Thus the additional mainline rail investment of £26 million, of which £12 million is from reallocated Luas funds, which the Minister announced last week will see the completion, by the end of the year 2000, of the upgrading of the Mullingar-Carrick-on-Shannon, Cherryville-Kilkenny and Mallow-Killarney sections of the rail network.

The Mallow-Tralee line which is part of the inter-city network still has a large proportion of old jointed track. The Mallow-Killarney section qualified for EU Cohesion Fund aid in 1996. This section of track is 40 miles in length and with Cohesion Fund assistance, 15 miles will have been upgraded to continuous welded rail by end-1999. The proposed additional £10 million investment, including the reallocated EU assistance, will permit the upgrading of the remaining 25 miles with continuous welded rail.

The Minister is very much aware of the importance of the railway to the people of Tralee and considerable progress is being made, particularly with the upgrading of the Mallow-Killarney section being completed by end-2000 and the replacement of the signalling system on the entire stretch of track. In considering the overall investment needs of Iarnród Éireann in the post-1999 period, I assure the Deputy that the specific needs of the Tralee-Killarney section of the line will be fully taken into account.