I welcome this important legislation. We are all aware that legislation cannot guarantee complete safety. Unfortunately, accidents happen and we have all seen pictures in the media of the horrific aftermath of recent serious accidents in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. We need to ensure that systems are in place in Ireland to minimise the risk arising from railway operations. I am sure the Bill will result in a balanced and effective approach to the regulation of rail safety.
The new framework set down in the Bill, combined with genuine commitment and the will to buy into it from railway companies and their employees can certainly make a significant contribution to the enhancement of safety on our railways. The Bill should also give members of the public confidence that the Government is committed to providing safe and reliable railway transport.
The Minister outlined the substantial improvements made to date throughout the rail network under the rail safety programme. In addition to improvements to the existing network, we will soon see the opening of two new light rail lines to serve the capital.
It is important that we look at the history. I am sure everyone agrees that the railway system has suffered from chronic lack of investment for many decades. Fortunately, that has changed and we have undertaken a major investment programme in recent years. While much of this has concentrated on addressing shortfalls in such areas as track, signalling and stations, we have also begun to increase capacity, especially in the Dublin area.
Some of the progress made includes the renewal of 325 miles of track, the replacement of 200 bridges, the upgrading of 400 level crossings, the extension of the DART to Malahide and Greystones, bringing 38 new DART carriages into service, the upgrading of the Maynooth line with double track and new services, bringing 47 new diesel rail cars into service, the redevelopment of Heuston Station and the construction of the Drogheda maintenance depot, which I hope will be completed this year, the delivery of 80 diesel rail cars to be put into service in the middle of this year, and new stations at Clontarf, Grand Canal Dock, Drumcondra and Monasterevin. We are about to see the ordering of 67 inter-city carriages, the commencement of the increase in the size of DART trains to eight car capacity, the upgrading of stations to accommodate such trains and the placing of an order for 40 new DART carriages.
This investment has brought much needed safety improvements and increases in capacity. By the end of 2003, lines to Cork, Tralee, Limerick, Waterford, Galway, Westport, Sligo and Belfast will be renewed with continuously welded rail. Peak capacity in Dublin has been increased by 40%. This level of investment must be sustained if the railway is to continue to expand to meet the demands being placed on it now and into the future.
It is important from a safety point of view that one of the first actions of the previous Minister, Senator O'Rourke, was to ensure the track was continuously welded, and along with the money invested in signalling, this was the most responsible action to take. She could have bought new carriages but it would have been the wrong way to go because we would not have had the infrastructure on which they could be run properly and safely. Senator O'Rourke needs to be commended for taking what was not in many ways the easiest public relations option but was the right thing to do. She ensured in the long-term that the new carriages would run on safe lines.
Track capacity will be increased to allow continual increase in DART capacity at peak times. The objective is to achieve an increase in capacity of up to 75% over the next five years. Other objectives are to provide eight new stations, upgrade Tara Street Station and provide a new station at Spencer Dock.
Some 67 new carriages will be purchased for inter-city trains to be in service by 2005. These will replace all carriages whose life has expired. Some 50% of the fleet will be more than 30 years of age by 2007. I am sure we all agree that some of the carriages are in an appalling condition and should not be in use.
The safety programme will continue. There will be a complete resignalling programme, redevelopment of Cork, Galway and Limerick stations, provision of new booking and reservation systems and increased frequency of services on main corridors.
This huge investment will cost €2 billion to €4 billion but it needs to be carried out. The goal is to increase the number of passengers from 34 million per annum to 44 million within five years. That is a significant growth project in the Dublin commuter market and the prime inter-city routes. CIE has a huge challenge ahead and I hope it meets the targets it has laid down.
The strategic rail review should also provide us with a strategic policy framework for the future development of the railway throughout the country. It would be foolhardy to face into such a period of change on our railways without also updating the legislative framework to oversee the safety of staff, passengers and the general public. Creation of an independent railway safety regulator will provide a means by which this change can be managed in an effective and coherent manner.
Railway undertakings will be required to have a safety management system in place that will ensure that the railway company can carry out its operations in a safe manner. I also note that under section 41, the railway companies will have to describe their safety management systems in a document called the safety case. This will have to be accepted by the Railway Safety Commission before the company can get a safety certificate.
I welcome the fact that from now on there will be independent acceptance of the means by which railway companies manage safety. The safety case will facilitate this and will also provide a means by which the Railway Safety Commission can monitor the operations of a railway company to ensure that it carries out its activities in accordance with its safety case.
The strong enforcement powers that are being given to the Railway Safety Commission will give it the necessary teeth to enable it to carry out its work effectively. I note that the commission will have discretion to investigate any railway incident. While I do not doubt Iarnród Éireann's commitment to safety, independent investigation by the commission will greatly reassure the public that the true cause of an incident will be established and made public and that similar incidents will be avoided in future.
If we ask people to use public transport, it is important that they feel safe using it. If we are to achieve the targeted increases in rail passenger numbers, people must feel confident about the handling of the aftermath of an accident when it occurs. Safety is primary in allaying people's fears and ensuring they use the rail system.
I am glad the Bill recognises that all risks to the safety of our railways are not just in the hands of railway companies or their employees. The Bill places a duty of care on members of staff, passengers and the public. Passengers have a role to play in behaving responsibly while travelling on a train. Likewise, members of the public have a responsibility not to endanger themselves or the railway while they are using a level crossing or a bridge over the railway. Builders and others carrying out an activity near a railway should also be expected to take care not to endanger the railway. The Bill places statutory duties of care on all these parties and this is very much to be welcomed.
I welcome the provision establishing a railway safety advisory council. This body, comprising representatives of a cross-section of groups with an interest in or a role to play in railway safety, will be an excellent forum for discussion and examination of railway safety issues. What could be called neutral players, that is, people not representing railway companies or their staff, will also be members of the council and that is to be welcomed.
I urge the Minister to examine the idea of a rail users group. It is important to have an independent statutorily funded body, as exists for instance in parts of Australia and England and other countries where it works extremely well, that would be independent of the rail companies, Dublin Bus or anyone providing public transport. It would be able to represent the users of public transport. It is important that they have a voice, something they do not have at present. If we are trying to encourage people to use public transport, such a body would highlight issues that affect passengers every day, whether they use bus, rail or whatever. It would be imaginative and would help the Minister in his work, as it would highlight issues that exist relating to the providers. It is the correct way to go on this issue especially if we are trying to get people out of their cars and into public transport. The Minister should consider this idea, which has been extremely successful in other parts of the world. I welcome this Bill and I wish the Minister success in implementing it.