There is substantial ongoing current and capital Exchequer investment in the development and operation of the Irish railway network. Total Exchequer funding allocated to Iarnród Éireann for 2008 amounted to more than €720 million and freight services benefit from this investment also.
I propose to establish a forum on the movement of goods as set out in Smarter Travel — A Sustainable Transport Future, which was published earlier this year. My Department is currently undertaking preparatory work on the membership, tasks, and timescales for the forum. The forum will address both economic competitiveness and environmental sustainability matters associated with the movement of goods by air, sea, rail, and road. The realistic potential for rail freight and its role within an integrated freight transport strategy including issues such as a rail freight subsidy and international experience in the promotion of rail freight will be among the matters explored by the forum.
When the forum has deliberated, the question of introducing additional funding for the railways to promote rail freight will be considered at that time and also in the context of other demands for funding in the transport sector and the level of availability of Exchequer funding at that time.
In the meantime, Iarnród Éireann continues to pursue a policy of growing its rail freight business where opportunities present and of returning the rail freight business to profitability. In that context, Iarnród Éireann has made progress in recent years in growing the rail freight business in areas where it holds a competitive advantage over road haulage, e.g. large volumes or trainloads over longer distances, which are not time sensitive.
The rail freight market has been fully liberalised since 1 January 2007, and while no applications have been made for entry to the market to date, any expressions of interest would be welcomed.