Proposals have been put forward for a comprehensive rail expansion plan that aims to connect towns without train services and enhance existing rail networks. The proposed plan would span a 25-year period and would involve the construction of an additional 650km of cross-country railway. This would result in a 28% expansion of the current rail network, making railway stations with regular services accessible to an additional 700,000 people within a 5km radius. The plan also includes increased service frequency on the busiest intercity routes, with trains running every 30 or 60 minutes.
To facilitate faster travel times, existing routes would be upgraded and electrified, allowing trains to reach speeds of up to 200km/h, compared to the current fastest speed of 140-160km/h. Additionally, track doubling and quadrupling in certain sections would eliminate the need for trains to stop at junctions, further improving journey times. Key airports in Dublin, Belfast, and Cork would be connected to the rail network, and freight rail services would help reduce traffic congestion by taking heavy goods lorries off the roads.
Approximately 75% of the planned expansion would take place in the Republic of Ireland, with an estimated cost of €27 billion, while the remaining 25% would occur in Northern Ireland, costing approximately €9 billion. The Department of Transport and the Northern Ireland Department of Infrastructure jointly published the proposals in the first All-Island Rail Review, aiming to usher in a “new age of rail.” The review has received in-principle approval from the Cabinet and will undergo public consultation until the end of September. The final plan is expected to be completed by year-end.
Among the ambitious elements of the proposal is the creation of a new cross-border rail line, the North Midlands line, which would connect Athlone to Portadown via Mullingar, Cavan, Monaghan, and Armagh. Other lines, such as the Athenry-Claremorris line and the Waterford-Rosslare line, would be revived along with ongoing work to reopen the Limerick-Foynes line and the addition of a new spur serving Shannon Airport. The plan also recommends the introduction of new lines in the east of the country, connecting Drogheda-Clongriffin, Dublin-Navan, and Hazelhatch-Portarlington, as well as linking Letterkenny to Derry and Lisburn to Antrim to improve connectivity across the region.
Given the scale of the proposed projects, early acceptance is crucial for effective planning and design. The cooperation and support of both governments on each side of the border are needed, although there is currently no functioning government in Northern Ireland. Despite this challenge, the review has been published to allow officials to progress to the next phase of the project. The Department of Transport acknowledges that more detailed assessments of the feasibility and affordability of the recommendations are necessary before final decisions are made. These proposals align with the government’s Climate Action Plan, which aims to encourage the use of rail services and reduce reliance on cars. While the review predicts a doubling of passenger journeys on intercity services, this would still only account for 6% of overall journeys. Therefore, additional incentives and measures to discourage car use will be implemented to further increase the usage of rail transport.
It’s important to note that this iteration of the plan does not address commuter services, as various city-specific plans are already in progress to improve those aspects of the rail network.
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