Ministers must push ‘hapless’ Ross over rail line - Cassells

Deputy Shane Cassells has demanded the three Government ministers from Meath put pressure on Minister Shane Ross to get the Navan rail line back on the agenda
Putting the rail link on the political agenda was front and centre at a meeting between members of Irish Rail Infrastructure Management team and Deputy Cassells this week.
He said fast-tracking the review of the project ahead of the government’s proposed date of 2021 was essential given the population explosion due to the extensive housebuilding programmes in Navan and Dunshaughlin.
Currently there is no commitment in the new National Development Plan towards the construction of the line other than to conduct a review of the project in 2021.
Deputy Cassells said the meeting with the Irish Rail Infrastructure Management team was positive and that they had shown great interest in the continuation of the line to Navan.
“As the management team said to me they are in the business of building rail lines and want to see lines back open again,” remarked Deputy Cassells.
“Crucially the senior people I engaged with had been on the project team when the scheme was shelved back in 2011 and so are well appraised of the plans.
“What I stressed to them is that the standard negative response from Minister Shane Ross to queries about the Navan rail line - stating that there isn’t the critical mass of population to warrant the expenditure - is a misnomer.
“We’ve seen an explosion in housing construction in the Dunshaughlin area and also in the Johnstown area of Navan.
“At a time when we have such concern expressed by so many about our climate the requirement to see sustainable transport plans that provide people with viable alternatives to access the city should be paramount not just aspirational.
“The bottom line now is that we need some real political will to provide the funding to get this up and running.
“Quite clearly that is not coming from the hapless Minister Ross so what we need is for the three Government ministers in Meath to bring the required pressure to make this happen.”
Statistics on the increase passenger usage from the M3 parkway and Dunboyne stations were also sought from Deputy Cassells.
Deputy Niamh Smyth was also in attendance at the meeting making the case for the extension of the line to Kingscourt and further meetings between Irish Rail representatives and the local deputies are planned.