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Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins and Ireland’s Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien and Minister of State with responsibility for the implementation of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review, Seán Canney, have all welcomed the publication today of the Rail Project Prioritisation Strategy for the island.

Assisted by the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Rail Project Prioritisation Strategy is being published today by the Department of Transport and Department for Infrastructure. The Strategy outlines how to best sequence and optimise the recommendations of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review, which was launched following public consultation in July 2024.

The Strategy specifies short-term rail infrastructure investments, referred to as Early Interventions, to be delivered in the coming years. These include a series of new track passing loops and platforms to boost the rail network’s resilience and capacity. Work on these projects in Ireland will start next year, for full delivery by 2030.

The Strategy also identifies Major Projects to be progressed for the longer-run, involving intercity electrification and significant capacity upgrades on the rail network. These Major Projects include “FourNorth”, to add track capacity on the busy Northern line north of Connolly station; electrification and line speed improvements on the Dublin-Cork and Dublin-Belfast routes; and new/reinstated lines such as Portadown to Derry~Londonderry and Letterkenny.

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