The report, titled All-Island Vision for a New Age of Rail, was supported by Ireland’s Department of Transport and Northern Ireland’s Department for Infrastructure. It outlines 32 recommendations for railway improvements across the island, to be implemented by 2050.
Arup, which served as the delivery partner for the project since 2021, published the final report this month. The recommendations are designed to significantly upgrade the rail system, including the construction of new lines, expansion of track capacity, electrification, increased train speeds, and more frequent services.
The report also advocates for the restoration of the Western Rail Corridor between Claremorris and Athenry, as well as the South Wexford Railway, and proposes extending rail services into Tyrone, Derry/Londonderry, and Donegal.
Additional recommendations include upgrading the cross-country rail network to a dual-track system, with some sections converted to four tracks, along with increasing service frequency. The review suggests that the core intercity network be upgraded to support train speeds of up to 200 km/h.
However, none of these recommendations have been officially adopted as policy by the relevant governments. Each proposal would require further detailed evaluation before proceeding.
Arup estimates the total cost of implementing the recommendations by 2050 to be between €35 billion and €37 billion (£29 billion to £31 billion) in 2023 prices. Despite the significant cost, Arup argues that the social benefits would make these investments worthwhile. The costs would be shared between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland on a 75:25 basis.
Ireland’s Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, emphasized the importance of rail as a sustainable means of transportation and a crucial element for regional development. He expressed a desire to see the recommendations implemented swiftly, noting that work has already begun, with assistance from the European Investment Bank, on planning the next steps.
Potential rail expansions could include linking Dublin, Belfast, and Shannon airports to the rail network and improving connections to seaports.
Northern Ireland’s Minister for Infrastructure, John O’Dowd, highlighted the opportunity to decarbonize key services and invest in climate adaptation, while also boosting economic productivity through infrastructure projects.
However, there is scepticism about the affordability of the proposals. Mark H Durkan, infrastructure spokesman for the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), expressed concern that the plans could be jeopardized by Northern Ireland’s challenging public finances. He pointed to delays In existing projects, such as the Derry-Coleraine rail improvement scheme, as evidence of the difficulties in delivering such ambitious plans.