Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 January 2026
520. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Transport the reason the Waterford to Rosslare railway line is not being prioritised as part of the All-Island Rail Review Prioritisation Strategy. [74066/25]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, the Department of Transport, together with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland, published the Rail Project Prioritisation Strategy in December last year. This Strategy outlines how to best sequence and optimise the recommendations of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review, which was published in July 2024.
The Rail Strategy specifies short-term rail infrastructure investments, referred to as Early Interventions, to be delivered in the coming years, including new track passing loops and platforms to boost the rail network’s resilience and capacity, which are funded to be fully delivered by 2030. This includes a new platform at Limerick Junction, and a new passing loop east of Clonmel, which will support quicker journeys between Waterford and Limerick.
The Rail Strategy also identifies Major Projects, including capacity/frequency enhancements and electrification of the Waterford rail line, to be progressed for the longer-run.
The Rail Strategy does not cancel any projects. Rather projects such as reinstating the proposed rail link between Wexford and Waterford are intended to be progressed in the longer-term.
Other rail projects which will also benefit the South-East include the extension of the DART from Greystones to Wicklow, for delivery around 2029. This project will be advanced with funding provided under the National Development Plan Sectoral Investment Plan, which was published by the Department of Transport in November. This project will be progressed using new battery-electric DART trains, the first order of which are currently undergoing safety testing prior to be deployed on the Northern Commuter line in 2027, and new battery-electric charging infrastructure, and will boost rail capacity and frequency on the Wexford/Rosslare line. Wicklow commuters in particular will see a big increase in train frequency through the new DART services that the project will deliver.
In addition, a new train station is currently under construction in Waterford city, for opening by 2027, as part of the ambitious North Quays development.
