Irish report calls for quicker, more expansive rail network

The governments of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland have published a joint report on the rail infrastructure on the island of Ireland, calling for expansion of the Irish rail network and further investment in new and upgraded lines. 

The first All-Island Strategic Rail Review outlines 32 recommendations to improve the island’s rail system by 2050 with additional capacity, faster and more frequent services, and a decarbonised network. 

Eamon Ryan, Ireland’s minister for transport, said: “Rail not only allows us to carry more people and freight in a more sustainable way, it is the great connector, enabling greater regional accessibility and balanced regional development. 

“The report provides a long-term vision and a series of recommendations for the sustainable development of the rail network on the island.” 

The majority of the recommendations made in the report relate to regional and rural connections or improving the customer experience on the rail network such as reinstating the railway in South Wexford and improving integration of rail and other transport options. 

While the report also evaluated the benefits of constructing a new 300km/h high-speed network, it concluded that the costs of any such project would likely outweigh the benefits given the relatively short distances between the island’s biggest urban areas. 

John O’Dowd, Northern Ireland’s infrastructure minister, described the publication of the report as a “new chapter” for rail on the island, he said: “Getting infrastructure right, and investing in it accordingly, can create the foundations for better rural and urban communities.” 

Freight-specific recommendations outlined in the report called for the strengthening of rail connections at ports, including the development of a sustainable solution for first and last-mile rail access at Dublin Port, and the reduction of track access charges for freight trains. 

The cross-border report was first commissioned in 2021 and put to public consultation in mid-2023 before its final publication now, with the final recommendations set to “inform decisions on investment in the rail sector” over the next 25 years. 

Rail services have operated on Ireland since the 1800s but the island’s current network is largely centred on the capital cities of its neighbouring countries, Belfast and Dublin, leading many in the industry to call for more investment into the wider network. 

For example, last year, the republic of Ireland’s national rail company Irish Rail signed a contract with Egis to carry out a modernisation project for the signalling, electrical and telecommunications systems on the rail network in County Cork.