Rail Network

Government policies have made Drogheda a commuter town and those commuters need a train station on the north side of the town. Almost 20 years ago the proposed train station on the town's north side was included in the Drogheda northern environs plan. This plan foresaw the huge rise in population in Drogheda and the need for a second train station on the north side. The site of the proposed train station was on brochures and commuters eagerly bought houses that were highly valued because they were close to the proposed train station. It was then removed after Iarnród Éireann said they had no plans to proceed. I have here a page from the brochure for the Aston Village housing estate that was built in 2004. It clearly shows the northside train station and the port access northern cross route, neither of which was delivered by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments in that time. Government representatives locally in the past week, and going back a number of years, continually put out press releases regarding the Drogheda north train station. Those press statements mislead people because it gives them hope, when it seems that the very same Government party representatives releasing the press statements cannot convince their own parties to deliver. The car park in the MacBride train station on the south side of the town is full by 6 a.m. As one recent email from a constituent to me stated: "As a student already facing stress from upcoming exams and upcoming assignments, I do not need the additional stress of finding a parking bay near the train station". The north side of Drogheda is expected to see an increase in population of 20,000 people along the port access northern cross route in the coming years. Hundreds of new homes and apartments have been built, as the Minister will be well aware, and thousands of new people have moved there in recent years. These are the workers and the professionals who keep our economy going, and these are the ones pushed further and further out into the commuter belt by ever increasing prices and by the Government's refusal to effectively manage the State's housing stock. Iarnród Éireann, funded by the Department of Transport through the National Transport Authority, NTA, is currently buying new train carriages, which is welcome, for the ever expanding number of commuters in Drogheda. What would be more welcome is the train station that has been planned for decades. The centre of town is choked with traffic around the train station. If you drive out of the current train station today to the new housing estates, where the lands designed for the northside train station is alongside, it can take as much time driving from that part of the town to the other part of the town as it takes to drive into Dublin. This is because of traffic congestion. The Government parties created this problem and they can remedy this problem. A new IDA Ireland business park is being developed on the north side of the town and hopefully Drogheda United will see their new stadium alongside the port access northern cross route. A northside train station can serve all of this. There is land still at Aston Village that is owned by Iarnród Éireann where the station was originally proposed but we need that train station on the north side of the town. No obstacle is insurmountable if the Government really wants to deliver it.

I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to address this issue. While County Louth falls outside the greater Dublin area and the National Transport Authority's existing statutory remit in terms of transport planning, the NTA is nevertheless actively working on improving public transport options in Louth. In fairness, the Deputy has mentioned a number of them. The development of the Dublin-Belfast economic corridor, which takes in Drogheda and Dundalk, is included in the greater Dublin area transport strategy and will serve as a key growth enabler for the eastern and midland region. There have been recent improvements on the rail service along the corridor. In 2024, the frequency of the intercity Enterprise train service was increased with the support of the Taoiseach's shared island funding, with an hourly service now operating for most of the day. The public is responding and passenger numbers are really impressive along that route. The Enterprise fleet is also in the process of being replaced and upgraded with four existing train sets to be replaced by eight new sets. These new train sets are tri-mode, meaning they will use overhead electricity lines from Dublin Connolly to Malahide and eventually to Drogheda as the overhead infrastructure is rolled out under the DART+ coastal north project, diesel or hydrogenated vegetable oil, and battery around Belfast. The train sets can be converted to fully electric traction in the future as the electrification of the corridor progresses in line with the all-island strategic rail review. The first new trains are scheduled to enter passenger service in 2030, which are the Enterprise trains, after a period of testing and commissioning. As part of the DART+ programme, three fleet orders have been placed under the DART+ fleet project. These orders comprise of 285 battery-electric and electric carriages. The battery-electric carriages from the first order of 95 have started arriving in Ireland and are now undergoing testing. I have been out to look at those new trains myself. Subject to certification by the European Rail Agency they are expected to be deployed on the northern commuter line to and from Drogheda next year. They will serve that line. I am very familiar with that line because it serves my constituency too. That will be a really welcome move. We are looking at that next year. The carriages will replace diesel trains and provide a boost for capacity to passengers at Drogheda station. Looking further ahead, the DART+ coastal north project will extend overhead electric wires from Malahide to Drogheda, along with other infrastructure improvements such as the construction of a new platform at MacBride station in Drogheda. The project will increase rail capacity between Drogheda and Dublin from 4,800 to 8,800 passengers per direction every single hour, catering for the growing population and travel demand on the route. With the support of the shared island funding announced in July, as part of DART+ coastal north a new passing loop will be constructed at Clongriffin and a new turnback facility at Malahide in the coming years, which will help to improve journey times and journey time reliability for Drogheda train users whether they are travelling by DART or Enterprise. In addition to our public transport investment, through the ongoing construction of the port access northern cross route there have been significant investments in the roads network north of Drogheda town itself. This road is a key piece of infrastructure for the town delivered under the previous Government. I visited that and its completion will unlock significant potential for the development of housing. It will also present future opportunity for enhanced rail infrastructure close by. While a new station in Drogheda north specifically is not planned at this time, I assure the Deputy that opportunities for such infrastructure enhancement is kept under close review. This analysis considers factors such as population growth, development patterns and railway patronage, while the rail service infrastructure improvements I have outlined will bring tangible benefits to residents in Drogheda in the more immediate term and in the coming years. I look forward to the continued improvement of the rail service for the people of Louth, including the introduction of the new battery-electric DART fleet to Drogheda next year.

I reiterate what I finished with in my previous contribution. No obstacle is insurmountable if the Government wants to deliver it. The Government is spending €3 million on a temporary train station in Adare ahead of the Ryder Cup in September 2027. This is millions of euro on a temporary station. The mind boggles. The Government is investing €150 million to fast-track a 7 km bypass to permanently remove traffic congestion from Adare village, which is slated for completion prior to the tournament. I do not begrudge Adare village. Investment in rural Ireland is badly needed but it must be carefully planned and it has to be deemed critical infrastructure. All that money is being invested for the short-term benefit of tourists for an event lasting a week, yet the length and breadth of the country, cities, towns and villages are waiting for their own critical infrastructure to be delivered. The Government has the Critical Infrastructure Act where it refused to actually define what critical infrastructure is, but if tourists coming for a week-long event is deemed critical infrastructure, I do not know how we make sense out of that. Adare village has a population of roughly 1,200, according to the most recent census data. Drogheda is currently the largest town in the Republic of Ireland with our urban population officially surpassing 50,000 people. We have more arriving to live in what will be next greatest city of Ireland if we achieve that goal. If we could just get the Government's attention to deliver the infrastructure we need to evolve and thrive, we would be flying. I am disappointed by the Minister's statement that no new station is planned at this time for north Drogheda. The town meets all the criteria he set out, including population growth, development patterns and railway patronage. This issue will not go away. The more Drogheda evolves and enhances, the greater the pressure there will be from residents and commuters in the town to meet the growing need.

I have given the Deputy the situation as it is currently. The northern access route is a major benefit to Drogheda. Rail services have improved. There has been a 40% increase in passenger numbers on the hourly Enterprise service. The fairer fares initiative last year significantly reduced costs for commuters, particularly rail commuters, in Drogheda and Dundalk, which was widely welcomed but was not mentioned by the Deputy. Drogheda has received, and will continue to receive, significant investment. The previous Government allocated funding to Drogheda and Dundalk under the urban regeneration and development fund for public realm works and housing activation measures. That is all really good. Great new communities are growing up in the area and they need to be supported by public transport. There is a logic to having a station in north Drogheda. Other areas along the northern line would benefit from an additional station as well. We have done that in south Dublin as part of the Land Development Agency development at Shanganagh Castle, where Woodbrook station was opened to serve the new community there. There is a way of doing it. As Minister, I see the logic in a station for north Drogheda and I am keeping it under review. We want to improve public transport services and take a transport-orientated approach to development, including along the Belfast-Dublin economic corridor. That is happening. The new DART+ carriages coming on stream next year will make a real difference to commuters. The Deputy's point about the need for another station for Drogheda is valid. It is something that is on my list, not just to be kept under review but to see how it could be done and what the cost would be. As I mentioned, the enabling works around that area north of the town provide an opportunity. There is logic in what she is saying and I appreciate her raising it. I know she will continue to raise it, and rightly so. I certainly will be keeping it on my list.