A heavy rail link to Dublin Airport and the Athenry to Claremorris line could be open and operating within five years if given the go-ahead by government.
Appearing before the Irish Parliament’s Joint Transport Committee, to outline the company’s plans for 2024 and beyond, Iarnród Éireann Chief Executive Jim Meade also confirmed that the company hopes to deliver the Navan Rail link by 2030.
He told the committee that the draft All-Island Rail Review recommends improved speeds and frequency, electrification, new and enhanced routes, and greater regional balance by developing a rail network that will sustainably serve a growing population. He said that Iarnród Éireann strongly supports all recommendations in the draft review.
Sinn Féin TD for Leitrim, Martin Kenny, asked Meade about the possibility of building the DART line, given that building the Metro North rail line is expected to take ten years.
Meade replied that was for the government to decide. But he said it was the ambition of the European Commission to connect all major city airports with traffic of more than 12 million passengers to the heavy rail network by 2040, and that a heavy rail link to the airport would complement - and not compete against - the proposed Metro North line.
Meade added: “If we had approval for it to happen today, we would first start into a design and planning phase. It would require a railway order.
“If we had a fair wind, it would be two or two-and-a-half years at a minimum, probably a little more, and we would build it out in a further two or two-and-a-half years.
“The alignment would go beyond Clongriffin station, turn left, and go in under the flight path. We would elevate and go over the M1 rather than underground, just as the railway through the centre of Dublin is elevated and has been for 190 years. As we approach the motorway, we would elevate and go into the departure areas of T2 and T1.”
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