Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 4 May 2023
60. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Transport his plans to ensure the preservation of all disused railway lines in the ownership of Iarnród Éireann, where they have not already been legally given over for use as a greenway, as railway lines and to re-open them on a phased basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20617/23]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the Strategic Rail Review is being undertaken in cooperation with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. It will inform the development of the railway sector on the island over the coming decades.
The Review is considering the future of the rail network with regard to the following ambitions: improving sustainable connectivity between the major cities (including the potential for higher/high-speed rail), enhancing regional accessibility, supporting balanced regional development, and rail connectivity to our international gateways. This also includes the role of rail freight.
The Review is also considering the scope for improved rail services and infrastructure along the various existing, or potential future, corridors of the network including disused and closed lines. The Review will establish the framework for investment in disused lines in the coming decades and, until it is complete, no work will be undertaken on such lines that might preclude any future reopening. However, it would also be premature to commit to preserving all disused alignments as railway lines and reopening them on a phased basis before the Review is finalised.
Work on the Review is now at an advanced stage. However, before the Review can be formally approved it will require consideration under relevant environmental regulations, in particular the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) regulations. If deemed applicable, then a draft of the Review will need to be published for public consultation before it can be formally finalised and approved. It is anticipated that any such consultation would take place during in the coming months.
Following the completion of any environmental regulatory procedures and subsequent finalisation of the report, the Review will be submitted for my formal approval and ultimately to Government, as well as to the Minister for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. Should there continue to be an absence of Ministers in the NI Executive, approval will be considered taking into account the decision-making framework set out in the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc.) Act 2022 or relevant legislation in place at the time.
It is expected that the final Review will therefore be published in the second half of 2023.
