Peadar Tóibín
Question:159. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Transport the progress being made towards the extension/reopening of the Western Rail Corridor; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33923/23]
View answerTuesday, 11 July 2023
Questions (159)
Written answers
The Western Rail Corridor is being considered as part of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review which I announced in 2021 in partnership with the Minister for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. The need for Ireland to develop a more strategic framework for investment in our rail network was previously noted by JASPERS, an agency of the European Investment Bank. This Review is the first such Departmental-led Review in two decades and the first ever to be conducted on an all-island basis.
The Review will inform the development of rail on the Island of Ireland in the coming decades to 2050, in line with net zero targets in both jurisdictions. The Review is considering the potential scope for improved rail services along various existing and potential future corridors of the network, and that scope includes the potential afforded by disused and closed lines such as the Western Rail Corridor.
Work on the Review is now at an advanced stage and it is expected that a draft will be published for the purposes of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) public consultation later this month. Following the SEA process and finalisation of the report, it is expected that it will be submitted for the approval of the Minister for Transport and Government in the autumn, 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 be published in the autumn of 2023.
Question No. 160 answered with Question No. 154.