Rail ideas include Luas-type link with Derry and budget airline-style fares
Ministers believe reducing the rail transport network would severely impact the attractiveness of the country’s larger city regions for foreign investors and would impact on tourism.
A Western Rail Corridor connecting the ports and cities of the west and south is also proposed in a lengthy submission on the future of the rail network written by OPW Minister Sean Canney.
The cross-party submission to the National Transport Authority and Iarnród Éireann rail review has also been signed by six other ministers of state as well as TDs and senators.
In it, Mr Canny said the national rail network is currently not operating at its full capacity.
“It is an incredible waste of resources to leave 80 miles of railway infrastructure idle and dormant between Galway and Sligo as we strive to increase connectivity in this area through the construction of new motorway, duel carriageway and national primary road realignments.
“For the cost of a few town by-passes this inter-regional railway could be revitalised and compliment the road network, as is the case on the east coast and between the east and south coasts.”
The submission is highly critical of the significant investment in the Dublin region which the politicians argue has come at a cost to regional Ireland.“There is no circumstances in which I can envisage prioritising one part of the country over another. All citizens deserve equal access to transport infrastructure and if we are serious about balanced regional development.”
Mr Canney also says that “attractive” railway links between regional cities are needed, pointing out that Galway to Cork requires up to two train changes with delays of up to one hour and 19 minutes at Limerick or Limerick Junction.
Mr Canney and his fellow politicians argue for a railway division of An Garda Siochána to police stations, trains and infrastructure.
“An environment where there are 40m people engaged annually justifies the investment.”
Mr Canney says Donegal once had the highest concentration of Victorian railway in the world and says there is now an opportunity for a light gauge/Luas-type rail service from Derry to Letterkenny.
“This connection could form a longer term connection to the west on track ambition to go as far as Sligo.”
The NTA and Iarnród Éireann had sought the views of train passengers, political parties and other groups around how the rail network should develop.
In a separate submission, Fianna Fáil called for investment in fixing rail infrastructure and building critical transport projects such as the Dart underground.
Fianna Fáil TD Robert Troy said: “It is beyond belief that the Government is considering closing rail lines at a time when we should be ramping up investment in public transport.”
