Is the Navan rail line dream back on track? Cabinet expected to sign off on 2031 start date for €750m project

Cabinet expected to sign off on 2031 start date for €750m Navan rail line project

TRAINS are set to roll back into Navan sooner than expected, with the Cabinet set to approve the long awaited Navan rail line project tomorrow (Wednesday) morning.

After years of campaigning and set-backs, the Cabinet is set to approve the Greater Dublin Area Transport Plan, which includes the much sought after rail line.

The €750 million project is now expected to start in 2031 with completion in 2036.

There had been a lot of hope that the line would form part of the Greater Dublin Area Transport Plan, when a public consultation process was launched two years ago.

However, the scale of submissions from people in Meath took the National Transport Authority by surprise and played a huge part in making sure the project got the green light.

In total over 4,000 submissions were received and almost half of those were from people in Meath reflecting the scale of the campaign to deliver a rail service to Navan.

Consequently it became one of the biggest projects on the review alongside the Metro to South West Dublin and extensions of the DART.

While construction and implementation of the project will not commence until 2031, sources say the the work surrounding planning and route selection process can take place in the immediate term.

The draft plan, which was published in November 2021, while confirming the rail link would be delivered, suggested a timeline for completion between 2031 and 2042.

“Having regard to the commuting patterns from this area and analysis work undertaken for rail provision along this corridor, it is proposed to extend the rail system from the M3 Parkway terminus station (just west of Dunboyne) to Navan town, serving Dunshaughlin and Kilmessan along its route,” the document stated.

The Navan Rail project had been shelved in 2016, when it was assessed that there was insufficient prospective commuter traffic to justify the development of a high-capacity rail line. Instead, it was proposed to enhance the bus service.

Following high powered talks between Meath County Council and the National Transport authority in-depth, an study of the case for extending the link from the Parkway station to the Meath town was carried out in 2021.

Navan Fianna Fáil Senator Shane Cassells has said this week’s news is “transformative for Navan” and “way overdue”.

He had brought the then Taoiseach Micheál Martin to Navan 14 months ago to view the station and at the time he told the Meath Chronicle in an interview that a Navan rail line was a priority for him.

Senator Cassells said that the role of the people of Navan in turning the tide was “hugely significant.”

“There is no doubt that the fact that nearly 2,000 people from Navan and Meath took the time to make a submission gave this project new life.

“The transport planners simply couldn’t ignore the voices of the people of Navan. As one of the biggest towns in Ireland we are only getting what we deserve.

“I have consistently put the case forward for Navan and brought Taoiseach Micheál Martin to the old station to impress upon him the need for this to be delivered.

“I am thrilled for the people of Navan because this is going to be transformative from a work, economic stimulus, tourism and social point of view.”