The All-Island Strategic Rail Review was published in July 2024. The Review undertook a thorough assessment and appraisal exercise of several packages of interventions to develop its final recommendations. The economic appraisal of the recommendations included in the report shows that, when taken together, they deliver net economic benefits for the island of Ireland. Included in the Review's recommendations is the double tracking of the Dublin to Galway line to Athlone, which will enhance connectivity on this route.
Following the publication of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review in July 2024, the Department of Transport, with the support of the European Investment Bank and in conjunction with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland and rail stakeholders across the island, oversaw the preparation of the Rail Project Prioritisation Strategy. This Strategy was published in December 2025 and outlines the approach to sequencing and optimising the recommendations of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review in the coming years.
In the short-term to 2030, the Prioritisation Strategy specifies a number of '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. These interventions include a second platform at Clara in Offaly. These investments are funded to be fully delivered by 2030 under the NDP Sectoral Investment Plan for Transport, published by my Department in November 2025.
