Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 September 2025
113. Deputy David Maxwell asked the Minister for Transport the specific steps his Department is undertaking to ensure that the National Train Control Centre project is delivered in a timely and cost-effective manner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51581/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy may be aware, the National Train Control Centre or NTCC project is designed to deliver a modern, safe and efficient national train control system that can effectively meet the needs of a growing railway over the coming decades.
There are a number monitoring and reporting procedures that my Department has in place to review the progress of the NTCC, as I will outline.
The Sponsoring Agency which delivers the NTCC is Iarnród Éireann, and the day-to-day Approving Authority is the NTA, which provides independent challenge to Iarnród Éireann in its delivery of the project. The specific responsibilities of both the Sponsoring Agency and the Approving Authority are set out in the Infrastructure Guidelines.
In addition, my Department meets monthly with the NTA to review all major public transport projects, including the NTCC, and it is assisted in that regard by NewERA, external experts with professional infrastructure experience, and through JASPERS which is an EU agency that provides Member States with advice on infrastructure development.
The NTCC building was completed in November 2022, but bringing it into operation has been delayed due to complexities associated with the roll-out of the Traffic Management System or TMS, which is the software system that integrates a range of railway systems such as signalling and communications.
As a result, I recently met with the NTA and the contractor, Indra Sistemas, who are responsible for the TMS project. At the meeting, I noted my dissatisfaction at the rate of progress with the TMS and emphasised the importance of project delivery.
More broadly, I will continue to keep the NTCC project under close review, with a view to it bringing its benefits to railways users as soon as feasible.
