Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 November 2023
17. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Transport his views on either extending the existing rail service to Youghal, County Cork or putting in place a bus rapid transit service alongside the Midleton to Youghal greenway route; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52692/23]
View answerThe All-Island Strategic Rail Review is being undertaken by the Department of Transport in cooperation with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. It will inform the development of the railway sector on the Island of Ireland over the coming decades.
A draft of the All-Ireland Strategic Rail Review was published in July for the purposes of Strategic Environmental Assessment public consultation. This review will inform the development of the railway sector on the island of Ireland over the coming decades.
A proposal to develop a line between Midleton and Waterford along the South Coast was examined as part of the Review, but was not included in the recommendations for implementation due to geographical and economic reasons.
Work on the Review is now at an advanced stage and a draft report was published for the purposes of Strategic Environmental Assessment public consultation in July. The public consultation phase of the Strategic Environmental Assessment process concluded on 29th September and submissions are now under review by the Project Team and officials from both jurisdictions. It should be noted that this report is at draft stage at this time.
As part of the on-going planning and enhancement of sustainable transport provision, programmes such as Connecting Ireland and BusConnects are seeking to significantly enhance the level of bus services provided to better meet demand and improve connectivity of cities, towns, villages and regions by public transport.
At present the level of service associated with bus rapid transit would not be required to meet the demand along this corridor in County Cork. However, opportunities to provide better bus connectivity to the existing and future Cork Area Commuter Rail Network, and enhanced connectivity to Cork city, are both under consideration. The area will be included in Connecting Ireland work 2024 – 2026 inclusive.
