Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 7 December 2016
45. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on the rail network and the necessary funding to ensure the continued operation nationally of all existing passenger lines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38840/16]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the National Transport Authority (NTA) is currently running a public consultation on rail in Ireland. It was launched with the publication of the Rail Review 2016 - which the NTA undertook in conjunction with Iarnród Éireann - together with an NTA consultation document "The Role of Rail in Ireland and Funding its Delivery". Both documents are available on the NTA's website.
The NTA's public consultation will run until 18th January. Through the consultation process, the public and interested parties have an opportunity to contribute to the debate on the future of rail. The purpose of the public consultation is to open up a public discussion on the role of rail and its funding and to provide factual material to inform that discussion. The NTA will then prepare a report about the consultation process which I intend to bring to Government. While there has been much speculation regarding the future of individual rail lines, I want to stress that no decisions will be taken on any of the options identified in the Review in advance of the full process of public consultation.
The review examines the funding required to support the heavy rail network now and into the future. It provides analysis of the company's financial situation, some possible funding solutions and some proposals for measures to grow passenger numbers. While considerable amounts of State support are already being provided for Irish Rail, the review identifies a funding gap for Irish Rail of the order of €100 million per annum. The funding gap identified in the review is based on the projected allocations prior to Budget 2017. In the meantime, decisions on Budget 2017 provide for additional funding of over €50 million to Irish Rail next year, bringing the total funding next year to over €300m.
This significant increase in funding for next year allows for increasing investment in maintenance and renewal of the network and the rolling stock, and also to provide more funding for safety projects.
In conclusion, I want to again emphasise that no decisions will be taken in relation to any individual rail lines, or any of the options identified in the review, in advance of the full process of public consultation. In the meantime, I would encourage all stakeholders to avail of the opportunity to outline their views on the future of the rail network.
