Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 11 September 2023
301. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Transport if the Western Rail Corridor from Athenry to Claremorris is included within the National Development Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37995/23]
View answer350. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Transport if any funding has been allocated in the National Development Plan for the Western Rail Corridor; and if so, if he will provide a breakdown by current and capital costs. [38423/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 301 and 350 together.
As reiterated in the National Development Plan, 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 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 a draft report was published for the purposes of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) public consultation in July. The reinstatement of the Western Rail Corridor from Athenry to Claremorris is included in the recommendations in the draft report. 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, 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.
The final Review will be published pending Government approval in both jurisdictions.
