Faster and more frequent trains, new services in the northwest and the electrification of the intercity network are among the recommendations of a study Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan has hailed as “the most ambitious vision for rail in a century”.
The final report of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review is being published today by Mr Ryan and Northern Ireland’s Minister for Infrastructure John O’Dowd. The report is designed to inform decisions by the administrations on both sides of the Border on investment in the rail sector up to 2050.
It is estimated that the full implementation of the review over the next 26 years would cost between €35 billion and €37 billion at last year’s prices, with the costs to be shared by the two jurisdictions. That would amount to an average annual spend of some €1 billion in the State and £310 million (€368 million) in Northern Ireland.
Under the recommendations in the study – carried out by consultancy firm Arup – intercity trains would travel as fast as 200km/h, significantly reducing journey times and halving them on some routes. The goal is to ensure that taking the train would be materially faster than car journeys.
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Train services between cities would be at least hourly and at least every two hours on regional or rural routes. There would be additional capacity with the upgrading of single-track stretches of line to double-track and even four-track in some areas.
The island’s rail network would expand from about 2,300km to almost 3,000km, meaning a further 700,000 people would live within 5km of a train station.
The Western Rail Corridor between Claremorris and Athlone would be reinstated and there would be an expansion of the railway in the northwest covering places in counties Derry, Tyrone and Donegal. The line connecting Wexford to Waterford would also be reinstated.
As part of efforts to meet climate action targets, decarbonisation of the railway would happen by the overhead electrification of the intercity network and through the purchase of hybrid and electric rolling stock. There would be strengthened connectivity to ports to encourage rail freight and track access charges for freight would be reduced.
The report’s recommendations are in addition to the projects currently being progressed under the National Development Plan (NDP) 2021-30 such as the DART+ programme.
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A Department of Transport statement said the review would assist it when it came to the next update to the NDP.
“Already, in the coming months, rail services on the island are to be developed towards the report’s vision. This includes an increase to an hourly train service between Dublin and Belfast, and additional services between Dublin and Galway,” it said.
Mr Ryan said the publication of the review is “an important day for the island of Ireland”, adding that “it is the most ambitious vision for rail in a century, bringing us forward to a new age of rail”.
“I would like to see the recommendations actioned as soon as possible, and I am pleased that work is now well under way, with European Investment Bank assistance, on how we can move forward,” he said.
Mr O’Dowd said the review has been “an excellent example of joint collaboration on cross-Border priorities, and this continued partnership will be key to realising its ambitions”.
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