As Minister of Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding of public transport. The operation, maintenance and renewal of the rail network, including closed and disused lines, is a matter for Iarnród Éireann in the first instance.
The scope of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review (the Review), as agreed with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland, does not in the main include urban rail networks. For this reason, projects as part of the DART+ Programme and Phase 1 of the Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme have continued to progress alongside work in the Review - they are not held up by it.
With regard to the development of commuter services in the Cork area, the Government approved the inclusion of Phase 1 of the Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme in Ireland's National Recovery & Resilience Plan. Phase 1 will see the construction of a new through-platform at Kent station to connect the existing lines, double tracking of the network between Glounthaune and Midleton, and network-wide resignalling to faciliate future enhancements. Inclusion in the Plan means that these Phase 1 projects will largely be funded through the EU's Recovery & Resilience Facility and means that all works should be complete before the end of 2026.
In relation to the development of the Athenry to Claremorris line, as the Deputy may be aware, a financial and economic appraisal of the proposed reopening of this line was commissioned by Iarnród Éireann and conducted by EY economic consultants. This appraisal was published early last year and is available to view at the following link:
www.gov.ie/en/publication/1174d-review-of-western-rail-corridor-phases-2-and-3-athenry-to-claremorris/
The appraisal was subject to an independent review commissioned by my Department and conducted by JASPERS, an agency of the EU/EIB, and that review is also available to view at the above link.
The ongoing Strategic Rail Review, which is being undertaken in co-operation with the Department for Infrastructure (in Northern Ireland), will inform the development of inter-urban/inter-regional rail on the Island of Ireland over the coming decades. It will establish the long-term strategic backdrop to rail investment in our regions and on our mainline network that the JASPERS review noted was lacking.
This type of strategic analysis informs our consideration of specific projects and in that regard, the Review will consider the potential scope for improved rail services along various existing and potential future corridors of the network. That scope includes the potential afforded by disused and closed lines for both passenger and freight services, such as sections of the Western Rail Corridor and the Foynes line.
I expect to receive a final report from the Review later this year.
