Reopening of Rosslare to Waterford line still on track with €30 billion rail investment

Waterford TD Marc Ó Cathasaigh welcomed the news that the Cabinet has signed off on the All-Island Strategic Rail Review which will see an investment of €30 billion rail into Ireland’s rail infrastructure over the next 20 years. 

Ó Cathasaigh said: "It is vitally important that the recent government investment in rail which we’ve seen over the past several years is increased and expanded upon. Our rail network is a driver of economic growth and is essential for strategic regional rebalance. Good rail connections make a place a far more attractive place to live, to work and to set up business. Rail services allow employees, students and tourists more easily and more comfortably without being stuck in traffic congestion."

Announcing that the Cabinet had signed off on the All-Island Strategic Rail review, which now awaits approval from their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Department for Infrastructure, Minister Eamon Ryan indicated that the delivery of the strategy would require about an extra billion a year for the next 25 years, resulting in improvement in train speeds and frequency of services, as well as the reopening of lines such as the Western Rail Corridor and the Rosslare to Waterford line."

Minister Ryan said: "We need to go back to an age of rail as we move forward – to decarbonise, to reduce gridlock, to improve the housing solutions and build houses close to where the railways stations are going".

Ó Cathasaigh said: "This August will see a new later train service from Dublin to Kilkenny and on to Waterford which will bring with it a significant boost for the South East, not only providing a vital service for commuters and those who need to travel to Dublin for services, but provide for those travelling between Kilkenny and Waterford.

"We have already seen passenger numbers on the route increase significantly. In the first five months of this year, we’re looking at an approximate increase of 10% passenger numbers on the same period last year. Last year saw  over 1.5 million passenger numbers on the Dublin to Waterford line."

"We need to see more investment in and provision of rail services in the regions, and particularly between regions. The West and the South-East have been poorly serviced for decades and I am happy to see that the All-Island Strategic Rail Review lay out a plan to increase intercity service frequencies and improve line speed on the Waterford to Limerick and Waterford to Cork lines, as well as increasing intercity service frequencies to at least hourly between Dublin and Waterford."

The recommendations within the strategy cover three broad indicative timelines, with roll out of elements of the plan in the short-term between now and 2030, medium-term between 2030 and 2040, and long-term interventions between 2040 and 2050.

Minister Ryan said that he would like to see work on the Athenry to Claremorris line get underway before 2030, opening up the Western Rail Corridor from Ballina to Limerick and on to Cork and Waterford.

This would immediately enhance and improve passenger travel, but would also facilitate greater rail freight transport along an Atlantic spine, where many industries and large companies are located, to ports at Shannon Foynes, Cork, Waterford and Rosslare, which will all have direct rail connections.

The AISSR will also complement planning already underway for the metropolitan rail networks of Dublin and the four regional cities of Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford are set out in Metropolitan Area Transport Strategies.

The AISSR approval by the Northern Ireland Department of Infrastructure is to happen towards the end of July, after which time, the final Report will be published and officially launched.