Rail Network

Thursday, 26 February 2026

Questions (170)

Joe Cooney

Question:

170. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Transport to outline his Department's position on the proposed rail service to Shannon Airport, via a spur from Sixmilebridge. [15350/26]

View answer

Written answers

As 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 2025. 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 under the NDP Sectoral Investment Plan for Transport, published by the Department of Transport in November last year. This includes a new platform at Limerick Junction, and a new passing loop east of Clonmel, which will support journeys between Waterford and Limerick.

The Rail Strategy also identifies Major Projects, including capacity/frequency enhancements and electrification of the Dublin to Cork and the Limerick to Limerick Junction rail lines, to be progressed.

Projects not included in the Strategy, including the spur to Shannon Airport, are intended to be progressed in the longer-run.