Ireland, north and south, would get a myriad of new rail connections, including direct rail connections to all its major airports and restored links between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic under an ambitious plan drawn up by experts from both countries.
The proposal, which includes re-opening many rail segments closed years ago when that was the fashion, was drawn up by the All-Island Rail Review, a joint project of the Department of Transport and the Northern Ireland Department of Infrastructure.
They estimate the cost at around €36 billion, to be split on a 75/25 basis, which matches the greater amount of projects in the south. Overall, the network would increase by 28% and would put an additional 700,000 people within 5km of a working station. It also envisions hourly or every two hour service among all major cities and provincial towns.
From an environmental point of view, the planners say, providing better service to all ports would reduce the number of heavy trucks on the road. The airport connections, for Dublin, Belfast, Shannon and Cork would both reduce air traffic among them, and allow incoming passengers to complete their trips by train. The work would include about 650km of new rail in addition to the re-activated lines.
The proposal has been approved in principle by the Irish cabinet, and will now be open for public consultation and comment until September 29. A final version of the plan is expected to be approved by the end of the year. Completing the entire project is estimated as a 25-year effort. Approval from the north is complicated by a political stalemate that has left Northern Ireland governed from Westminster for the moment.
