I raise the urgent need to restore passenger rail services along the existing Navan to Drogheda rail line. When does the Government intend to stop talking about regional connectivity and begin delivering it? For decades, the people of Meath have been promised better rail connections. We have had feasibility studies, transport strategies and endless commitments, yet Navan, one of the largest towns in Ireland without a regular passenger rail service, remains disconnected from the national network. What makes this situation particularly absurd is that the infrastructure already exists. The alignment is intact, the tracks remain in place and this line continued to serve freight operations until July 2023. While restoring passenger services would require investment in signalling, stations and safety measures, it is reasonable to ask why we are not making greater use of the infrastructure we already possess.

The Government points to the proposed extension of the Dublin suburban rail network to Navan. I welcome that long-term ambition, but the people of Meath cannot wait indefinitely without a firm delivery date. Why should the prospect of a railway tomorrow prevent us from opening a railway today? Restoring the passenger service between Navan and Drogheda offers a cheaper and more immediately achievable improvement. It would connect Navan to the existing Dublin-Belfast railway corridor, providing onward travel to Dublin, Dundalk, Newry and Belfast.

This speaks to a broader flaw in Irish transport policy. Our entire approach has become far too Dublin centric. We operate on the assumption that the purpose of every major transport investment is to move people into and out of Dublin. This hub-and-spoke model neglects connections between regional towns and communities and is not a sustainable model for national development.

Consider the opportunities a functional Navan to Drogheda railway could create. A student in Navan could travel to Drogheda for education. A worker in Drogheda could commute without relying entirely on a car. Residents of Duleek and surrounding areas would benefit from improved connectivity. These are growing communities with their own industries, schools and cultural institutions. They do not and should not depend on Dublin as an intermediary for every journey. By concentrating investment in the capital, we have transformed Dublin into an economic hub and bottleneck while compounding its congestion and housing shortages. By improving transport links between towns in Meath and Louth, we can encourage economic activity outside the capital and make our regional towns more attractive places to live and work. Genuine and balanced regional development means making it less necessary to commute to Dublin in the first place.

Yet, despite the merits of the proposal, the Government has failed to produce a definite timeline. The National Transport Authority previously dismissed the option without publishing a dedicated cost estimate. How can a Government claim to have exhausted this option when it cannot tell us what reopening the line would cost? Technical obstacles exist, but these are questions for engineers and not excuses for political inaction.

I am asking the Minister of State for three commitments. Will the Government commission an independent cost assessment for restoring the passenger service between Navan and Drogheda? Will it examine integrating this route into the wider regional transport networks along the Dublin-Belfast corridor? Will the Minister provide a definite timetable for reaching a decision? We do not need another generation of promises. We need a Government that is prepared to make use of the infrastructure we already have and to recognise that Ireland exists beyond the boundaries of Dublin.

I thank the Senator for the opportunity to address this important issue in the Seanad. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Darragh O'Brien.

The issue of a rail connection between Dublin and Navan was examined as part of the preparation of the Greater Dublin Area Transport Strategy 2022-2042, which was published in January 2023. The review supported the development of a rail line from Dublin to Navan. The strategy includes the delivery of this line between 2031 and 2036.

In its development work for its prior transport strategies, the potential reopening of the Navan to Drogheda rail line passenger service was examined by the National Transport Authority. However, it is a freight-only line and would require substantial investment to develop it to passenger service level. In addition, it is an indirect route to Dublin, which is the destination of many of the potential passengers from Navan, and would represent a longer and more indirect journey than the planned Navan rail line.

The connectivity of Navan and Drogheda was also considered as part of the all-Ireland strategic rail review, published in 2024 by the Department of Transport. The development of a Navan to Drogheda passenger rail line was not included in its recommendations. Accordingly, there are no plans at present to reopen the Navan to Drogheda line for passenger services. I note there is an hourly bus service between the two towns.

The update of the greater Dublin area transport strategy is planned to commence next year, while the rail review is planned to be updated once a decade to take account of the developments and policy changes. These reviews represent the appropriate opportunity to consider the best means of meeting transport demand along the corridor in an holistic manner.

Setting aside the future strategy updates, however, works already planned as part of the DART+ programme and the Navan rail line will significantly enhance the connectivity of both Drogheda and Navan. As part of the DART+ programme, a new battery-electric fleet will start entering service on the northern rail line from Dublin to Drogheda next year, providing a boost to people travelling from Drogheda MacBride station. The northern line will also see a new Enterprise fleet coming into operation from 2030, connecting Dublin to Belfast and other major locations along the route, including Drogheda.

In June, just under €140 million in shared island funding was announced, which will allow for the continuation of the hourly Enterprise rail service to 2030, as well as helping to accelerate track works which form part of the DART+ Coastal North, helping to address congestion on the line.

The Navan rail line project proposes an extension of the rail line from the M3 Parkway to Navan, connecting with the communities of Kilmessan and Dunshaughlin, significantly enhancing connectivity in the region. The national plan has allocated funding to advance the Navan rail line to submission of a planning application or railway order. Iarnród Éireann conducted an initial public consultation for the Navan rail line project in June and July, and a further consultation is planned for later this year.

On behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy O'Brien, I hope this response clarifies the matter.

I thank the Minister of State. That response has left this project dead in the water. I thought the NTA had given a commitment to Deputy Tóibín earlier this year and had stated that it would at least re-examine the proposal. The Minister of State is telling me that such a re-examination is not going to happen. It seems absolutely bonkers. I understand that the NTA and Iarnród Éireann have focused their primary efforts on the capital resources from the M3 Parkway to Navan. I understand the view that Navan to Drogheda is a low priority.

That is where all the funding and time are being focused. However, I will not see that project completed for another, probably, 20 to 30 years. This railway will probably end up being turned into a greenway. It is happening throughout the country. It is simply not good enough. The rail line is there. It needs investment, which can happen with a stroke of the pen from the Minister. I find it astonishing that the Government is quite happy to deliver projects out to 2030, 2040, 2050 and 2060 but it cannot deliver something within the next five to ten years, such as this particular rail line that is already there.

Once again, I thank the Senator for raising this important matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy O’Brien. As previously mentioned, there is an existing hourly bus service connecting Navan and Drogheda, while the investment required to upgrade the rail freight line to passenger standards would be substantial. The issue of Navan and Drogheda connectivity has been examined as part of the Greater Dublin Area Transportation Strategy 2022-2042 and the all-island strategic rail review. I have already referenced this. The conclusion reached by these evidence-based reports is that the connectivity of Navan and Drogheda would be best served through the works planned as part of the DART+ programme and the delivery of the Navan rail line, which seek to advance the respective connections to and from Dublin.

The roll-out of the new DART+ fleet to Drogheda next year will provide a boost to passengers on the line, and the hourly Dublin-Belfast Enterprise service will also serve people travelling from Drogheda to Dublin. The Navan rail line project, which has been the subject of a recent public consultation, also seeks to enhance the connectivity of the region by connecting Navan, as well as Kilmessan and Dunshaughlin, to the rail line to Dublin. A public consultation is planned by Iarnród Éireann on this proposed line later this year, which will help garner the views of all relevant stakeholders as Iarnród Éireann works to progress the preparation of a preliminary business case and relevant planning documentation for the project. I will bring the points raised by the Senator to the attention of the Minister and the Department.