Atlantic ‘railway spine’ from Ballina to Rosslare and higher-speed intercity travel proposed in rail review

A new Atlantic “railway spine” running from Ballina to Rosslare, a train line to Donegal, multiple freight connections to ports and higher-speed travel between major cities are expected to be included in the Island Strategic Rail Review, which is due to come before Cabinet later this month.

The all-island review into Ireland’s railway network was jointly commissioned by Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan and Northern Ireland’s Minister for Infrastructure Nichola Mallon in 2021 but it cannot be formally published because the North’s institutions are in suspension.

Instead, it is expected that a draft of the review will be published by the Government with the official review published once the Northern Ireland Executive is reformed.

A central part of the review will be a recommendation for a major pivot away from roads to rail for carrying passengers and freight. At present only 1 per cent of freight is carried on trains, much of it ore from Tara Mines, which has temporarily closed.

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The review is expected to back a new Atlantic railway spine that will link Ballina to Rosslare, principally for freight. Rail connections to major deep-water ports like Foynes are also expected to form part of the report, with major increases suggested for rail connections to Dublin Port.

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An integral component of such a spine would be a railway connection between Athenry, Co Galway, and Claremorris, Co Mayo, on the western rail corridor as well as new connections between Wexford, Rosslare and Waterford.

Mr Ryan has argued since becoming Minister that a significant modal shift from car use to rail use is required if Ireland is to meet its greenhouse gas emissions targets. The latest figures from the Environmental Protection Agency reported a 6 per cent increase in transport emissions in 2022.

Reconnecting Donegal to the railway network has also been a priority of Mr Ryan and Ms Mallon. The review is expected to favour a railway spur to Letterkenny from the North, that would connect it to Derry, Strabane, and Omagh.

The review was initiated in 2021 with a mandate to improve connections between major cities, improve regional accessibility and have a strategy with balanced regional development.

A study conducted in 2022 showed that rail travel between major towns and cities was slower than by car for all routes, except for Portlaoise to Dublin and Galway to Athlone. In the case of the trip between Cork and Belfast, it found it took six hours and 44 minutes by rail, two hours slower than by road.

It is understood that quicker line speeds between major cities form an integral part of the review. It will also set out a plan for linking the three airports in Northern Ireland to rail networks. Dublin Airport will have to rely on the construction of the Metrolink in the 2030s as there is no rail network nearby.