Public Transport
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-24
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Seán Canney (IND), Galway East

The Estimates are the Estimates. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating when the tender is brought in. I will not give any commitment until we see what the real overall cost is from the tenders. The range that is there at the moment is between €14.4 billion at the lower end to €17.49 billion. The firm proof of the pudding will be when the tenders come in next year. This project is a key component in delivering not just a rail connection within the city of Dublin, but also the opportunity to build houses and open the entire city up for development.
The Deputy asked about rural Ireland and what we were doing around the country. We have put the Galway outer ring road and the Cork commuter rail in as two strategic projects that we need to get done. They are moving ahead fairly fast. Within the all-island rail strategy, which is under my remit, the Deputy can see what has been prioritised in terms of rural rail and what needs to be done there. The Deputy can see what we are already doing in terms of the development at Cork and Limerick stations and what has been completed at Galway station in order to provide for additional rail capacity. That is happening as we speak under the strategy. There is an opportunity for us in the regions to make sure that we continue to develop and provide the infrastructure so that people can live, work and enjoy life in the regions. That is Government policy.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-24/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:50+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-24