Battle still rages over rail route close to Dunshaughlin

A battle over the location of the proposed Dublin to Navan railway line - whether it should be placed west or east of Dunshaughlin - led to sharp divisions among councillors at the May monthly meeting of Meath County Council. Council members were receiving a briefing on proposed amendments to the Dunshaughlin Local Area Plan 2009-2012 relating to the Navan rail line. Councillors agreed to contact Minister for Transport and Tourism Leo Varadkar requesting a meeting to reaffirm his commitment to the completion of the rail link from Pace, outside Dunboyne, to Navan. Dunshaughlin area councillor Brian Fitzgerald said he would keep up his campaign to get Meath County Council and Iarnrod Eireann to change the projected route of the proposed rail line from the west to the east side of Dunshughlin. He said the closest station to Dunshaughlin would be 2km away and that this would not suit the vast majority of commuters in the area. Presenting the notice of motion calling on the minister to reaffirm his commitment to the rail project, Cllr Shane Cassells said this represented a major piece of infrastructure in the heart of the county. "The bottom line in this is that there is a requirment of the people for public transport. The M3 is not the overall answer to our transport problems in County Meath," he said. Motorists who used the M3 would reach Blanchardstown "and still hit the same problems". He said that there had been recent mention of a review of major capital projects by the government. The Metro North project would cost €8 billion but far better value for money would be the Navan rail project. "In the same way as we worked for the M3 project, people should work together for the rail." He asked for a unified approach within the county. Cllr Tommy Reilly said he was supporting the motion because he wanted to get the rail project moving. Cllr Jenny McHugh said the issue of the rail line coming to Navan had the full support of the county but the delivery of it was a separate issue. Cllr John Farrelly said he was a great believer that the country should be investing in major infrastructural projects, even in the middle of a recession. He suggested that a delegation be sent to the minister to outline the social needs of the county. Cllr Fitzgerald, who has campaigned for the placement of the rail line to the east of the town, said the local area plan for Dunshaughlin, completed in 2009, had an amendment for the rail line to come to the east. "Iarnrod Eireann are the only ones saying it should go to the west of Dunshaughlin. If it goes there, the nearest station will be 2km away," he said. The local area plan had pointed out two possible routes for the Pace to Navan rail line. "Our consultants recommended that the route that came east of the town should be chosen and that's why it was included in the LAP," added Cllr Fitzgerald. He said Iarnrod Eireann had decided the route and Meath County Council was supporting them. He said these combined forces backing the western route were stacking the odds heavily against the east. The rail company and Meath County Council should be backing the location which would maximise passenger numbers, he said.