The Irish Department of Transport and Department for Infrastructure (Northern Ireland) published a joint draft report for the All-Island Strategic Rail Review (AISRR) and associated Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) reports for consultation on 25 July 2023.
The AISRR considers how the Island’s railways are currently used, what role rail could play in future, and how the Island’s railway could better serve the people of both jurisdictions.
The time horizon for the Review covers the period to 2050 to align with both jurisdictions’ stated goals of achieving net zero carbon emissions by this milestone.
The Review considers a long list of potential rail sector intervention solutions under four main categories:
- New lines;
- Infrastructure enhancements (of existing lines);
- Infrastructure enhancement in the form of new station; and
- Frequency improvements.
The AISRR Report presents the findings and 30 recommendations from this Review. These include electrification, new and enhanced routes, greater regional balance and improved speeds and frequency. If adopted, the review suggests the result will be a rail network that will significantly benefit commuters, communities, businesses, the environment and economies both north and south.
The island of Ireland currently has around 2,300km (1,438 miles) of public rail lines. Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail), the state-owned railway company in Ireland, operates 1,944km (1,215 miles) of the rail network, and Translink (Northern Ireland Railways), the state-owned transport company in Northern Ireland, operates another 357km (223 miles) in Northern Ireland.
Apart from the main lines from Dublin to Cork and Belfast and some short stretches of suburban lines around these cities, most of the rail network is a single-track railway, which severely limits service frequencies.
The only electrified sections of the railway are those used by the Dublin Area Rapid Transit service (DART) – a suburban service operating along the coast of the Dublin area from Greystones to Malahide and Howth. All other services are powered by diesel traction.
The report, prepared by Arup, recommends a number of electrification schemes as well as the reinstatement of several closed railways. These include the line from Portadown to Derry-Londonderry via Dungannon, Omagh and Strabane, the line from Portadown to Mullingar via Armagh, Monaghan, Clones and Cavan, and the line from Newry to Belfast via Banbridge and Hillsborough.
Some existing single-track lines are proposed for doubling.
Submissions in response to the consultation can be made until 29 September 2023. These responses will inform the final review will be published before the end of 2023.
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