Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 11 Nov 2003

Vol. 574 No. 1

Rail Network.

Mr. Boyle:

One of the more interesting roles I had when I was a member of Cork City Council was in helping in the preparation of the Cork area strategic plan, which was the successor to the land use and transportation study. The latter was the first regional study in the country to advocate large-scale public transport infrastructure on a regional basis. While the land use and transportation study succeeded in many of its objectives, it failed spectacularly to deliver in the greater Cork area on any major public transport initiative. The Cork area strategic plan has a better capacity to do so. In the past, there may not have been as great an impetus towards promotion on behalf of local authorities and there was no willingness to provide adequate resources at national government level.

The Government has as its stated policy the strategic rail review. It has recognised that Cork suburban rail is worthy of support to the extent that the feasibility of the project is grounded on the delivery of a development strategy. The Cork local authorities have gone as far as they can in delivering such a development strategy. The plan to justify the existence of an enhanced rail network in the Cork area is more advanced than ever. The plan exists on two levels to enhance the existing Cork-Mallow line by running services from Blarney with further new stations at Kilbarry and Monard where it is hoped there will be new housing developments. More importantly, the greatest demand is in east Cork and this will be addressed by reopening the Cork-Midleton line and opening new stations at Carrigtwohill and Midleton.

The Cork rail feasibility study that was required of the Cork local authorities under the strategic rail review, provides the economic and logistic basis for the creation of this service and outlines the various costings involved. For instance, the Midleton component would cost approximately €35 million at 2000 prices while the upgrading of the Cork-Mallow line would cost approximately €20 million. Kent Station in Cork also needs to be upgraded but the cost of all the proposed works would still be less than the amount being spent on the upgrading of Heuston Station and that which was spent upgrading Connolly Station.

It is 12 months since the publication of the Cork rail feasibility study and the Government needs to send a positive signal. That would redeem and rescue it from the morass that is its public transport policy. If a positive decision was made on Cork suburban rail, I assure the Government it will not encounter the difficulties associated with Luas and the DART upgrade.

Cork suburban rail is needed and, if provided, it will work. It is capable of achieving operational cost effectiveness by 2020. The capital may never be recovered but the recovery of capital is never sought on road projects. The Government cannot point to a public transport initiative under which it was proposed it would pay for itself within a set period. My colleagues in the Cork area and I believe the case for improved, enhanced suburban rail is beyond question. The Government should make the necessary funding available and give the necessary signal because the basis of the Faber Mansell Cork rail feasibility study will be outdated if a signal is not given by the end of the year or the beginning of next year so that the infrastructure can be in place by 2008.

Mr. Parlon:

The Deputy will be aware that the Cork area strategic plan places great emphasis on public transport, with a target of 29% of all trips, inclusive of rail, going to or from the city centre using public transport. The CASP recommends major improvements to the Cork rail network, the introduction of ten green routes or quality bus corridors into the city centre with a number of park and ride sites. The CASP was commissioned by Cork Corporation and Cork County Council in 2000 and completed a year later. The plan provides a framework for the full integration of land use, transportation, social and environmental policies into an overall development strategy for the Cork region.

The main purpose in commissioning the CASP was to ensure the needs of the planning area are identified, prioritised and addressed for the period up to 2020. The CASP was developed with the close involvement of the Department of Transport. One of the key themes of the CASP is a redirection of future development in the Cork area that can be served efficiently by public transport, especially rail. To facilitate this reorientation of growth, the CASP calls for significant development of rail services in Cork on the following railway lines: reopening the line from Glountane to Midleton; provision of new stations to serve developments on the Mallow, Midleton and Cobh corridors; and provision of more frequent services on these routes.

These rail proposals have been made contingent on the implementation of the CASP land use proposals along the rail corridors to support and complement the rail project. CIE was requested to arrange for a feasibility study to be carried out on the proposals to test their viability. Following an appraisal of various options for the development of rail services in Cork, the following options were recommended by consultants: reopening the Midleton line with new stations at Carrigtwohill and Midleton with a 15 minute service from Midleton to Cork using a two-car DMU set; half hourly services on the Cobh to Mallow line; new stations to be constructed at Dunkettle, which would serve both the Midleton and Cobh lines, Kilbarry and Blarney with associated park and ride facilities; implementation of these proposals from 2008 with construction work taking place in 2006 and 2007; and the introduction of improved services in line with development growth and associated demand.

The proposals were separately examined by Booz Allen Hamilton during the strategic rail review, SRR, and they feature as one of the recommended projects in the recommended investment strategy of the SRR. Irish Rail has stated that the positive economic return identified in the feasibility study is critically dependent on population growth taking place as predicted in the CASP along the rail corridor. The study recommended reopening the Midleton line and introducing a 15 minute service on each of the three routes. The total capital cost was estimated at €115 million.

The Cork local authorities have commenced the process of generating special local area plans for each of the proposed rail services. Irish Rail plans to significantly upgrade the level of service on the Cobh and Mallow routes in December when the new timetable is launched. Additional diesel rail cars will be allocated to Cork services and an integrated Cobh-Mallow service will be introduced with some peak services extended to Charleville. Additional peak services will be provided on the Cobh corridor and the Cork-Mallow rote will have approximately an hourly service.

Irish Rail's medium-term rail investment programme is currently under discussion between the Department of Transport and the company. The development of suburban rail proposals in the Cork region are included in this plan. On the basis of these discussions, the Minister expects to receive shortly proposals with regard to proposed rail development in Cork.

I refer to the green routes public transport network in Cork. Arising from the CASP, Cork City Council is implementing a green route transport corridor and park and ride strategy for transport in the city. A total of ten green routes will be constructed and these include all the main bus routes. The green routes strategy envisages high volume, high capacity bus-based public transport corridors, which will connect each of the principal city suburbs and the airport with the city centre and the rail and bus stations.

The Department of Transport made €200,000 available to the city council in 2002 for preliminary design work on the first of these routes and is making available a further €3 million this year for construction work on the routes. In addition, the Department is making €3 million available to the city council for the construction of the first phase of the Black Ash park and ride site, which is situated close to the Kinsale Road roundabout. The park and ride site is located on the proposed green route from the airport to the city and it is expected the first phase of the facility will be in operation before Christmas.

I refer to Cork bus services, which have improved considerably over the past few years arising from significant investment under the national development plan. The NDP target for Cork over the lifetime of the plan is 130 buses. To date, 54 buses have been purchased by Bus Éireann for Cork: 30 in 2000; 14 in 2001 and ten in 2002. Departures have increased by 26% and the entire regular urban bus fleet in Cork is low floor, wheelchair accessible. The average age of the fleet in the city has been reduced from 11 years in the late 1990s to four years currently.

The Cork southern orbital bus service was introduced by Bus Éireann in September 2002 and was funded by the Department of Transport under the RAPID programme. The Government initiative gives priority attention to certain areas where a gap in infrastructure or other social needs is identified. It was confirmed in March 2003 that approximately 4,500 passengers use the southern orbital bus service every week. I hope this information updates the Deputy on the emerging changes in Cork suburban public transport.