Rail link to Shannon Airport recommended in All Island Rail Review report
Report sets out strategic vision for development of rail system across Ireland over coming decades
A review of railway provision across the island of Ireland has proposed several new routes, including a rail link to Shannon Airport.
The final report of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review contains a total of 32 recommendations aimed at enhancing the network across the next 25 years while also making train travel quicker and more environmentally friendly.
The report estimates the capital cost of implementing all the recommendations by 2050 would be between 35 to 37 billion euro in 2023 prices.
However, it claims that the economic benefit to society generated by the improvements would cover that bill.
The review was committed to as part of the 2020 New Decade, New Approach agreement that ended a long period without devolved government in Northern Ireland.
With the draft report having been published last year, Ireland’s Transport Minister Eamon Ryan and Stormont’s Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd jointly published the final version on Wednesday, July 31.
Mr Ryan said the publication of the review represented an “ambitious vision...bringing us forward to a new age of rail".
“This vision has been made possible by close co-operation between the departments and agencies north and south.
Local Fianna Fáil Councillor in the Shannon MD David Griffin has welcomed the recommendation of a rail link to Shannon Airport.
"The idea of a rail link to Shannon Airport has been mooted for many years, and its inclusion in the recomendations of todays All Ireland Rail Review is important."
"Shannon is a unique ariport, and the development of a rail spur, which will deliver better integration to public transport linkages, would be a huge benefit for the airport."
"When we look at the potential benefits, it is a no brainer to progress this project. The report proposes the building a spur from Sixmilebridge or Cratloe to Shannon Airport.
"This intervention could include developing new stations between the airport and Limerick to be served by a new urban rail service centred on Limerick," the Shannon councillor concluded.
The recommendations include:
– Connect Dublin, Shannon and Belfast International airports to the rail network. In Dublin, the move would complement the existing plan for a Metrolink from the airport into the city centre, and would enable intercity services to access directly the island’s biggest airport. Reinstating the Lisburn to Antrim line would enable Belfast International to be served by a rail link while in Shannon the review recommends the building of a spur to facilitate a rail link with Limerick.
– Restore a line linking Portadown in Co Armagh with Mullingar in Co Westmeath. The line would pass through Armagh and Cavan.
– Restore a line between Londonderry and Portadown, linking the towns of Strabane, Omagh and Dungannon to the network.
– Build a new direct line between Lisburn and Newry.
– Restore a line between Athenry in Co Galway and Claremorris in Co Mayo, connecting Tuam in Co Galway to the network.
– Reinstate the South Wexford railway.
– Develop a new rail link from Letterkenny in Co Donegal to Derry.
– Build a rail link that would cross central Dublin – potentially via a tunnel – to connect Heuston station, which receives trains from the south of the island, with the northern line that serves Connolly station.
The review also recommends several steps to improve the quality on existing lines, including additional track capacity, electrification, increased speeds and higher service frequencies.
The use of new 200kmh trains would see times on some intercity routes halved, the review says.
However, rural areas such as Co Fermanagh and much of Co Donegal are not set to see their historic rail networks resurrected, with the review concluding that passenger numbers would be insufficient to justify the major capital projects.
While many of the recommendations in the report are potentially decades away, some are set to come to fruition relatively quickly, with plans already in action to increase the Belfast to Dublin route to an hourly service by the end of the year.
Additional services between Dublin and Galway are also set to come online in the coming months.
Read more EcoLive stories on Clare Live