Motion: All-Island Rail Network

Proposed:

That this Assembly recognises the transformative impact that expansion of an all-island rail network will have on communities across Ireland; welcomes the commitment to the All-Island Strategic Rail Review from the Executive and the Irish Government; acknowledges that the delivery of accessible, sustainable and modern rail infrastructure is a key driver of economic growth, enhances our tourism industry and will drive regionally balanced investment in left behind communities; further acknowledges that investing in high quality rail is critical to reaching net zero carbon emissions targets by 2050; calls on the Minister for Infrastructure to provide an immediate update on the Phase 3 of Derry to Coleraine Feasibility Study; and further calls on the Minister to work with the Irish Government to produce a costed implementation plan this year, to deliver rail options to every county in Ireland.

Mr Matthew O’Toole
Mr Mark Durkan
Ms Sinéad McLaughlin
Mr Daniel McCrossan

Uh ladies and gentlemen the next item in the order paper is a motion on the all Island Rail network Clark could you please read the motion that this assembly recognizes the transformative impact that expansion of an all Ireland rail network will have on communities across Ireland welcomes the

Commitment to an all Ireland strategic rail review from the executive in the Irish government acknowledges that the delivery of accessible sustainable and modern rail infrastru structure is a key driver of economic growth enhances our tourism industry and will drive regionally balanced investment in Left Behind communities further acknowledges

That investing in high quality re is critical to reaching Net Zero carbon emission targets by 2050 calls on the minister for infrastructure to provide an immediate update on the phase three Dair to rean feasibility study and further calls on the minister to work with the Irish government to produce a costed

Implementation plan this year to deliver real options to every County in Ireland thank you and can I call on Mr Mark Durkin to move the motion please that moved uh thank you uh the business committee has agreed to lie up to 1 hour 30 minutes for this debate the proposer

Of the motion will have 10 minutes to propose and 10 minutes to wind as an amendment has been selected and is published on the Marshall list the business commit has agreed that 15 minutes will be added to the total time for the debate Mark please open the

Debate uh thank you Mr Deputy speaker I welcome the opportunity to raise this motion and to recommit to the sdp’s long-term Vision to deliver an all Island Rail Network which is not only fit for modern society but one which abolishes historic Regional disparities enhancing connectivity between communities will instigate the

Modal shift needed to reach climate goals and will deliver fairness in terms of economic growth for historically neglected regions in government the sdlp led the way to secure the all Island strategic rail review alongside the Irish government this 30 billion Euro plan to connect communities across borders decarbonize public transport and deliver

New opport unities set out the scale of our ambition in opposition we will hold the executive to account to hold up its end or not hold up its end and deliver on this ambition we have consistently exto the many Virtues Of All Island Rail and while there have been some gains the

Failure to grasp the full huge potential an expanded rail network with yield has stifled the land as a whole but the Northwest in particular a quick glance at the map shows the blatant disparity in rail provision between east and west and this gap on the map is an undable mark on the

Collective Consciousness which suggests that the West the Northwest is a place shut off isolated and unsuitable for prospective visitors and investors this Stark Gap is a microcosm of The Wider gaps faced by the West certainly you deuty speaker and appreciate the memory giv away at this stage he talks quite

Uh quite fluently about the Northwest uh being I suppose Out Of Reach almost but does he accept that at least London Dairy has a three in service to it whereas for mana and own doesn’t I I I thank the member for his uh intervention I’m not sure of the the

Logic behind it you can clear clearly see if he looks at this map the the Northwest and uh formana is clearly in the northwest of this map as well and the the West that Gap would have become a complete Abyss had drd and TransLink had their way over a decade ago when

They signaled it was to be the end of the line for the dairy line but thanks to the Monumental efforts of Lobby group and to the west of The Wider Dair public uh of politicians in the sdlp and others uh Mr Elliott’s own past colleague uh Minister Danny Kennedy the real

Potential of that da the Belfast line was recognized now we want it realized I remember uh my own colleague the late uh John dallot he spoke in great detail and at Great length many times in this chamber on the virtues of rail and many people in the chamber thought he was

Harking back to the past when it’s evident now that he was looking back to the future where he was going we don’t need roads in recent years we’ve seen incremental improvements including an early service and the delivery of the award-winning Northwest transport Hub those modest but transformational changes have all but eliminated any

Doubt cast by the naysayers about the viability of this line since the early Belfast service was introduced in 2017 we’ve witnessed year on-year record-breaking passinger numbers for Dair rail this is the living embodiment of the phrase if you build it they will come so it stands the reason if and when

We build more even more will come this motion call and the minister to get his Department working on how it will be built and how the building of it will be paid for there remains however blatant discrimination in terms of timing with fewer trains and less frequent Services

Than elsewhere Dair and formana the West deserves accessible rail provision early Sunday Services stops at city of der airport Bal Hy and Strath oil Minister Malin expanded on the new decade new approach commitment to high-speed crossborder connectivity to include the Northwest but bizarrely the draft report that has come forward excluded the dairy

Pedon line from the 200 km per hour rail speeds condemning the route to the lowest rail speed on the island this needs addressed in the final strategy highspeed rail is the key to durability and success making it a more attractive mode of Transport for everyone why should we settle for less

Than everywhere else it’s simply not good enough and the days of us in the west being second class passengers are over similarly the drawn out wrangling around phase three to Cool Rain needs closure well it needs commencement and completion we have remained consistent and persistent in our desire to see

Delivery on these perpetually postponed rail improvements to the North’s Second City Nicola Allan put this project back on on track after had a hazard shall we say she secured the feasibility study it’s long past the time that we end Dair status as the most isolated station in the Northern Ireland rail network this

Will help tackle Regional imbalance and will steer the whole region on course towards a brighter future I call on the minister to give immediate sign off on the feasibility St study and the funding required and promised to see its delivery it was due to start in it is

Due to start in 2025 for completion in 2027 we can’t afford more slipage here but certainly briefly in terms of extension of phase three do you share with me um the concerns raised in the transing commission report from aircom late last year about the rise in sea levels and

The impact they’re going to have not only in the dairy line but on the C Fergus thear line with 2046 locations in that line and my line will be underwater due to rising sea levels should that be a priority for the minister and for the for Transit going

Forward one would certainly hope that is in the public domain so that should be factored into the costing of and forward planning for the implementation of the the the final strategy D you be glad to hear me say can’t be the end of the line however we recognize the huge potential for

Infrastructure infill along the north and west coasts connecting rural isolated areas and advancing tourism that will rely on the restoration of rail and her own and an expansion into Donal and Beyond connecting border regions will open up prospects right across the island ensuring a thriving rail network means no County can be left

Behind formana should not be the only County on this island without access to rail an um anill and slig Link is just common sense and must be included in the strategy it can’t be set aside to a later date That Never Comes that’s why we’ve included

Every County as a goal in the motion and we fear that the the amendment reduces that ambition it has taken decades to get the wheels in motion for all Island Rail it’s time now to build upon the foundation blocks and recent investment from the Irish government I have no

Doubt that we can work collectively across the chamber and across these islands to deliver these much needed and much demanded services on the amendment and of course we would welcome collaboration with and between the the Irish and uh British governments to produce a cost implement the plan to

Provide expertise the ni poort CHS we could do with uh much more expertise expertise in the delivery of major infrastructure projects and we would welcome funding from anywhere regardless of where that is we won’t turn our news up at that it’s quite quite likely that this could draw

Funding from Europe as well giving the transf frontier nature of what we are discussing but we have to get moving now too much time has already been squandered without question rail is the most environmentally friendly transport option as success is core to achieving A Greener future getting people out of

Their cars and into trains will reduce congestion and pollution the member bring his remarks soon close please uh certainly Mr Deputy uh speaker I’d say the this needs to be prioritized because in our view certainly in my view this is the single most important project in terms of Economic and environmental opportunities

For this island uh thank you and can I call on Deborah kkin to move the amendment please moved thank you uh you’ll have 10 minutes to propose and five minutes to wind all other speakers will have five minutes please to open the debate on the amendment please thank

You thank you Mr Deputy speaker and I want to thank those who brought forward uh the motion today on the all Island real Network though I will forgive uh Mark durkin’s H puns there during this speech I did enjoy them um and I want to thank them for pointing to an ambiti

Plan that I agree will have a transform transformative uh impact and will provide a sustainable and modern real infrastructure which will help meet our Net Zero targets and will Aid connectivity from the outset today I just want to uh put on record that I’ll be making my comments in my capacity as

For mana and South trone dup MLA however we believe that the motion could and should go further we need to ensure that there’s expertise to deliver this project and indeed to ensure adequate funding is in place to deliver this will require the UK government input given the fact that the union

Connectivity report points to increasing the provision of real Network in Northern Ireland with that it is important that the strategy developed between both regions matches up and is strategic this motion is time a public consultation on the reviews draft report completed in September 23 as all members are aware and it is

Anticipated that the report will be presented to the executive and Irish government for approval and publication in late spring 2024 and hopefully the minister can add to that um to ensure that time scale is correct in July 2023 the draft recommendation of the all Island uh rail review were published and

There were some 30 recommendations the vision of the review set out six highlevel goals such as contributing to decarbonization improve all Island connectivity between major cities ensure Regional accessibility stimulate economic activity encourage sustainable mobility and Achieve economic and financial feasibility the 27th of October 2022 the infrastructure Minister welcome progress

For the Real review and noted that he’d asked officials to explore funding opportunities for the feasibility studies into the following areas a new real line between London Dairy and Pad reopening the nocore line with a connection to Belfast International Airport electrifying of the Belfast huri line and better connections between the

Real halt to Belfast City Airport of the recommendations that have been produced it can be grouped into four categories new lines infrastructure enhancements of existing lines or in the form of new stations and frequency improvements on the lines all very Noble and worthy recommendations but where is

Vermana the county I represent is set to miss out a present where formana is situated on the map there is a BL Blank Space not one dot of real provision in the all Island strategic Real review my constituency is one of the only counties in Northern Ireland and indeed the

Republic of Ireland that will lose out should the report still stand the way it is after the consultation and when I look I’ll give away uh I thank the member uh for giving away and without wishing to be factious I was going to ask her where formana is in the tabled

Amendment and I am simply pointing out that I want to see formana included I think that’s an important I you know I I don’t want to take away but I think today around this chamber we should all agree that every County in Northern AR should see real

Provision when I look at the report at it it states and anticipated demand fell below the threshold for real on some routes such as clonus to Sligo VI skillin and I point to another section contained in the all Island Real review given the relatively low population density and lack of larger towns across

The region the review has found that expansion of real is difficult to justify in much of the region within the Horizon of the review this is totally dis inured genous when you think of Northern isand and the fact that one county is not included and I hope that

Every member of this house will reject that what those comments big to me is that my constituency is hard to reach and easy to forget about we’ve talked about Regional imbalance surely formana should be the starting point there’s not a single piece of real track and I think

Um my consy colleague Tom Elliot as well for pointing that out in his intervention earlier not to mention it will mean a gap of 30 years in infra infrastructure progression for firman and South trone it will mean my local economy will get left behind and I’m not

Prepared to do that and neither should anybody sitting in this chamber today or at an executive table true leveling up and true commitment to decarbonization means including every every County in Northern Ireland I know I have made the case for Forman and citrone in the public consultation and others from my area

Have done so too and I pay tribute to organizations like into the West who have fought for many years to see real brought areas like formana in 2021 the C the capital cost of review recommended recommendations were estimated to be approximately 26 .5 billion and if inflation indicators were

Applied to those costs could be in the region to 29.2 to 30.7 billion in the union connectivities review final report of uh November 2021 it notes the opportunity of the all Island strategic Wheel review and it very clearly states the UK government should support the Northland executive to deliver transport infrastructure

Recommendations resulting from this work therefore I believe the inclusion of the UK government in this motion would strengthen our case this particularly is a case when you look at the recommendations from the UK connectivity review particularly recommendation 12 which states that the UK government should provide funding a major project expertise to Norther

Executive to support their work with the Republic of Ireland relating to the implementation and we have the opportunity and when considering the transport needs of noran we have to give cognizance of the fact that Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom and that as a result of this greater

Part of our economic activity is with the UK rather than the Republic therefore it is natural that the UK government would want to see leveling up in this regard but furthermore the UK government actually can te for in their plans they see inis skillin as a place of Need For

Real the all Ireland strategic rail review and the union connectivity review present a Clear Vision for better connectivity throughout the British ises and full delivery of these commitments should stands to unlock opportunities for economic growth and job creation within our communities we will work constructively with the executive and

The UK and the Irish governments to this end we must have a robust plan in place for delivery and we seen today from the Northern Ireland audit office report and the failure to deliver key projects there is an impetus to move away from ideas feas from aspiration to delivery

Therefore I command our Amendment to the chamber today thank you thank you Kath thank you very much uh Deputy speaker and could I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion on the amendment today and no doubt uh once the the previous speaker didn’t say she

Was acting as chair no doubt this issue will raise itself in the committee over the next next while um Mr Speaker Shin Fen firmly believes in the on top potential of rail to contribute towards sustainable social environmental and Economic Development Across the island of Ireland by providing efficient reliable and more frequent connectivity

We can connect more people cities towns regions and communities as well as help us tackle the climate emergency by providing viable transport options of which real has a significant role to play our is our Islands real network has suffered from Decades of neglect and underinvestment with significant areas

Of the Island still not served by Rail and adequate public transport options is not available in many areas we need to invest in proper public transport Network 100 Years of partition has severely damaged north south connectivity we need to look at how we can rebuild our real n real Network on

An all Island basis the publication of the draft Real review last year was a step in the right direction and highlights the need for increased investment in real infrastructure I very much welcome the funding announced last week by the arish government to make the Belfast to Dublin

Real line on early service Shin Fen has constantly called for the Improvement of this crucial real service that workers and students use on an everyday basis and people depend on for connectivity an early service will double the current frequency on this this ra Lan is incredibly popular and the investment will help further

Connect communities help tackle the climate emergency and no doubt Boer north south links it was also welcome last year that the 3.3 million was to be made available for examining the cost and feasibility of Electrify and the real life from Bast down to the border and I also

Welcome the investment of 800,000 that was made available for Trans link to conduct a feasibility study on the arm or down real link this was following positive findings from a council commission technical study which stated the rail Lan would promote sustainable transport in the region such a real link would improve connectivity create

Greater access for jobs and opportunities and enhance economic development for the whitea of course it was frustrating for our comrades here to Marite when the west of the ban and the Northwest wasn’t mentioned in h the funding program but Mr Speaker we need to improve our real Network in the north

Particularly West and the Northwest to unlock economic opportunities and ensure workers and families have better access to public transport if we are serious about tackling carbon the carbon emissions and getting people out of the cars we need a reliable affordable fit for purpose public transport system and a real and

Real will play a major role in that mget thank you I call on uh Peter MC renolds thank you Mr Deputy speaker and I Rise to welcome today’s motion on the all Island Rail Network and thank the proposer for having tabled it other women MLA for East Belfast my wife

Regularly tells me that I had great sense and wisdom to marry someone from stban and complaints about real infrastructure complaints about INF real infrastructure and public transport are something I always hear when I make the journey to the Northwest as an Lance party infrastructure spokesperson I have previously called for this assembly to

Start thinking progressively about our infrastructure and how sustained investment into our public transport Network can improve our connectivity stimulate economic growth and tackle the all to real climate emergency a new greatly enhanced and ambitious real network carries with it significant benefits not just for communities across this island but also for our shared

Environment a key commitment under new decade new approach the all Island Rail review reflects the Strategic objective to mitigate the impacts of climate change which have which have been and should continue to be a priority within this assembly Mr Deputy speaker transportation is essential to the social economic and environmental

Well-being of Northern Ireland and there is essential we take steps to transform public transport networks by investing in our existing real assets and delivering more connections we are sadly well known for our Reliance on Private Car usage and per Road network with 70% of all Journeys here made by car and 87% of

Those Journeys over one mile in distance Transportation here is tailored to car usage and this is reflected in the actual length of our Public Road Network which is over 25,000 km in comparison to a real network of 350 km before preparing my thoughts and speech ahead

Of today and to allude to what Mr Durkin said earlier I was looking at Graphics of our existing Network in comparison to what the all Island real Network seeks to achieve over the next few decades and as someone who has personally lived in France the northern Irish lack of rail

In comparison to many European cities is nothing short of a disgrace in 2024 and it needs to change if we continue to build and maintain a system that favors car usage the cycle of car dominance will just continue which is shown by the number of young drivers on our roads which has almost

Doubled over the last 10 years not diminished we will not break the Monopoly on private car use because there are limited options for travel that suit the needs of our citizens and this is where an improved and enhanced real offering comes into things there is no appeal to rail as an option currently

When endtoend Journey times are Faster by car more reliable and more cost effective the delivery of an all Island Rail Network could see rail passenger numbers double nearly 3/4 of a million people would live within 5 km of a railway station and some Journey times between towns and cities could be haved

I will yes remember for given way um on that connectivity one of the key issues we don’t have here is connectivity to our airports um by real do you think that would be a game changer we could open up International Airport for example and improve the tourism offering

As a result of that and the member has another minute I thank the member for his intervention and yes I absolutely agree and I I noted whenever I was reading through it just yesterday the significant impact that it’ll have on um City airport and East Bast as well um to

Continue better connected cities and towns through real is precisely the type of policy this assembly should be advocating to promote a modal shift in how people move as well as with decarbonizing the transport sector which is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the United Kingdom in previous

Years expansion of the public transport network has been in line with population growth the inadequacy of investment over the last decade means that commuters are less likely to use public transport than they had been 10 years earlier this is a step backwards during a climate crisis and the requirement to move towards low

Carbon Mobility Mr Deputy speaker this is an acknowledgement of the threat that climate change brings to our transport Network as was alluded to earlier by Mr Stuart sustained increases in temperature as well as heavy rainfall tests the resilience of roads and bridges and our rail network by damaging

Their structural integrity and yet there is no strategy for adapting transport infrastructure to a changing climate it is therefore crucial to start investing in other modes of Transport for for the climate benefit but also to relieve the pressure on the current Network as we head towards 2030 Green infrastructure that facilitates sustainable

Connectivity between major cities and regions across this island must be a priority historically infrastructure planning has suffered from our inconsistent politics which ensures that the vision and ambition of potentially transformative projects are rarely delivered upon we can no longer afford to let start stop politics limit our

Efforts to move towards a low emission transport Network to mitigate the impacts of climate change in closing Mr Deputy speaker Alliance supports today’s motion and we’re happy to support the amendment as well these plans as we know are ambitious and significant in their cost and the more contributors willing

To dig deep to fund it for the better thank you uh thank you a caller John Str um I thank the proposers of both the motion and the amendment for bringing this forward today and we will be supporting both um Mr Deputy speaker our real Network here has been a victim of

Chronic underinvestment over many years both in terms of the exist existing infrastructure diversification from carbing emitting Fleet but particularly the lack of network in the west of the province uh to clear Mr deuty Speaker the AL unist party are fully supportive of the ambitious plan set out in the O

Island strategic Real review particularly how the real Network can be developed sustainably to improve connectivity between major cities and towns enhance Regional accessibility including to the Northwest enhance transport integration reduce carbon emissions and support balanced economic growth and development the recommendations have delivered will help to deliver a Greener economy including a

Model shift between um towards public and sustainable forms of transport it will support decarbonization of the real Network here including a gradual s shift to electrification of the network and the use of hydrogen power trains and I note Mr Deputy speaker that know of nar’s the only part of Europe I believe

Without any form of electrification of the lines to date that’s something we definitely need to look forward towards further it has the ability to deliver an accessible efficient safe and sustainable transport system that supports communities households and businesses here the proposals for additional stations throughout the country particularly the west of the

Country could be a game changer for connectivity tourism and economic development as with the long-term proposals for 125 miles an hour line between Yuri and lisbourne and the 1H hour service between Belfast and Dublin and as already been said ultimately as a result of this up to 700,000 people

Across Northern irand and the Irish Republic would live within 5 kilometers of a raway station if it was followed through the expansion as well Mr Deputy speaker as I’ve said would need to include access to our airports the cost of airport um car parking is prohibitive significant and there’s a monopoly

Almost being established there because of the lack of connectivity particularly to Belfast International Airport but also to Belfast City and by broadening that up as part of the Union connectivity we might as well also see additional um Roots being implemented as a result of that coming in from Mainland

UK but also an all Island tourism benefit being able to travel up from Dublin and fly out from furtherfield to from Belfast and that as I say could be a game changer um I want to now touch Mr Deputy speaker just on a few of the issues it’s already been discussed by Mr

Uren about the the cost of that and how prohibitive that would be a 3 31 billion pound assessment at the stage with upwards of a 25% contribution from the executive here it is essential Mr Deputy speaker that this is properly costed to assess the overall viability of that

Particularly in light of the additional costs that were highlighted today by the audit office in terms of our infrastructure projects run forward and I would um also welcome an input as it’s been ready said around Union connectivity strategy and an input from the um Majesty’s government on this as

Well I think they have a key role to play secondly Mr Deputy speaker is deliverability the entire project is likely to Span in excess of 25 years and in order to do that we need to see a commitment that extends over five mandates and at least five ministers

From across several parties we would therefore need to see a maturity of government that we have struggled to find in the past if we are able to see truly transformative services and that is the same across all departments whether we’re looking at health and the transformation of care or a massive

Infrastructure projects there needs to be a grownup approach into how we do this over a series of years absolutely just on that point I and I agree with a lot of what he said and his point around the fact that we need stability institutional political stability to to

Deliver big things whether it’s Health reform or gruth in the real Network would he agree with me that it would be helpful if the first and Deputy first Minister would confirm they won’t resign for the rest of this mandate and would he support us and others in this chamber

Who want to work towards reform uh the Min Minister has an extra minute and could um when you’re making an intervention you actually have it about the topic of rail please thank you for that promotion Mr Deputy speaker I’ll take the paycheck as well if I can have

It not quite there yet but yeah I absolutely do sustainability is key whatever it is we’re looking at particularly the massive infrastructure projects over a number of years undoubtly we’re going to need consistency of government and continuity of government and that will be vital in terms of achieving that so I absolutely

Do agree with the member thirdly and it’s already been alluded to as well the absence from of vermana from the all island realview is totally unacceptable Mr deputy speaker and needs to be corrected the extension of a real line to formana is imperative for sustained economic growth and connectivity and

Would be vital to eleviating congestion on formana roads allowing Fabricators and manufacturers to use rail Freight instead of to Aid in transportation and I would welcome a commitment from the minister on this issue going forward finally Mr Deputy speaker um the motion and we agree with this cause on phase

Three of the dairy Cor in feasibility study we do have no problem with that and it would be um vital to Ure faster and more reliable Journeys to the Northwest but it would be remiss as I’ve already pointed out not to fact they’re in the serious and concerning

Revelations of a recent assessment and Report carried out for TransLink that says that on seven areas on both the car Fergus to La line in my constituency and in the London Dairy line that by 2040 will be underwater as a result of rising sea levels and Coastal change hopefully

All members in the house and the minister agree with me that this will happen within the lifetime of this proposed strategic review and it is vital that we look look at how we’re going to assess that impact on our infrastructure and network so that we can tackle that because the last thing

We want to see are those key Services as in have what we hold those gone underwater without a strategic plan to address them thank you Mr Deputy speaker thank you very much Colin par dear please thank you Mr Speaker um Mr Speaker I want to address this in in

Three separate points the first issue which you want to deal with is the all ear review so for me and and for my party we welcome that as a key strategic part in putting things in the right direction here and then looking at rail across this island on a strategic uh

Platform and and an opportunity to work together we’ve all seen the comparison map between 1920 and 2020 the decrease in ra over that time and we have to look at partition as essential in making that happen partition has decreased not only the quality of rail on our Island but the

Quantity of rail on our on our Island as well so we have the opportunity now to work together to advance that and to move in the right direction on this secondly I want to touch on the union connectivity review I have to say contrary to what other members have said

Today I was very disappointed by that I was disappointed to see that the West Was neglected in that and I think that that really reinforced the two-tier system which we have at the minute which is rail east of the ban strengthened and rail west of the ban which continues to

Be ignored um I did expect to see phase three of the DAR Belfast line on that I expect that they see greater detail on that and I think that that really emphasizes the third point for me which is about having local ministers in place people who understand rail here who get

The geography of this place and who really want to change that for the better you see it’s good for us to have a minister in place it’s better for us to have a shenan minister in place because particularly for da and for the Northwest Shen infrastructure Minister

Means delivery we looked at 2016 we see Chris Hazard his day one priority was to get the A6 built that has now happened John has made very clear that his day one priority is to get the A5 belt and I really welcome the fact that we’ve seen

Great progress on that this week with continued funding and continued commitment from the Irish government which has been increased I do think no I won’t sorry um so I do think that it’s important that we see that continuing um a minister is now in place who’s committed to inre in connectivity who’s

Committed to improving public transport who’s committed to investment and the increasing opportunity for Dair in the Northwest we all have to welcome that as a positive step thank you por call on Steven Dunn no doubt transport connectivity at a modern and accessible rail network is very vital to our economic growth job

Creation developing tourism building houses and social cohesion and that connectivity is crucially important when whether that be East West or indeed north south I very much welcome the commitment within the union connectivity report launched in late 20121 by the UK government which stated a key priority was to improve connectivity with

Northern Ireland through better transport infrastructure better rail capacity and journey times better rail connections to airports and participation in the O all Island strategic rail review the connectivity report also recommends that the UK government looks at providing funding on major projects expertise to our executive to support their work with the

Republic of Ireland relating to the all Island strategic rail review which is indeed very welcome it’s clear that our current rail network is outdated as has been said by quite a number of of members here um this morning and it is in real need of investment and I welcome

The opportunity to support this motion as amended as we look at ensuring ensuring our public transport system is fit for purpose for today and for the future improvements to connect activity to our single largest trade market in Great Britain is just as important as investing in crossb rail projects and

Indeed in our agreement with the government that is why we ensured there were commitments to improve the physical connections that link Northern Ireland to Great Britain including through delivering the a75 improvements and through a new 10 million pound fund to boost investment within our ports the report today from the northern irland

Audit office which my colleague um Mrs hin has mentioned which stated that delivery that the delivery of major public infrastructure projects here will cost almost 2.5 billion more than planned after anal analyzing 77 projects across various North Harland departments is a real and Stark reminder of the very

Real fiscal challenges which exist today with major infrastructure projects like what we have been discussing here today as we move hopefully closer towards the delivery stage of these potential improvements it is imperative that contributions from our UK treasurer are discussed before bringing forward a costed implementation plan with a rough

With a rough cost estimate for ni related projects recommended by the draft review report equating to over5 billion P back in 2021 prices it would be foolish to believe that the executive could support these projects without the aid of the UK government and it is within this respect the absence of any

Reference to the UK government in the original stlp motion is peculiar to say the least as an MLA for North I see the very real value and importance to our economy that having a Rail Link which is used by thousands of commuters every day to and from Belfast City Center and

Beyond from figures I received from TransLink this week during the year 2122 there were over 320,000 Journeys using the bangard to Belfast rail line and that figure in 2223 increased to over 540,000 Journeys confirming the demand that exists for rail travel into the city center and Beyond yes

Certainly um just conscious of that I mean same for Carri Fergus line as it is a banger one of the key aspects we need to see is an increase in the nighttime economy um there’s a lot of uh limited access both in trains and rail or trains

And buses do you agree with me that we should see an increase in those in the even time to try and boost the um City economy and the member has an extra minute yes I thank the member Mr Stuart for that intervention I do agree with him I think there is greater potential

You know to do more with even the real link that does exist at the minute and build on that including uh greater frequency of of our our Trends and indeed more routes and stops as well so and that ties in with the next point just around um how it is alarming that

Since the 1950s our rail network has been cut by almost 450 miles an alarming statistic indeed and uh we have suffered historical underinvestment in our rail network um compared to the Republic of Ireland and also to other regions of our United Kingdom I very much also welcome the focus on improving connectivity to

Our three airports here including the George best Belfast City Airport which neighbors within my own constituency and is a vital part of our connectivity to the rest of the UK and Beyond into into Europe through through the all Island strategic rail review we do have an opportunity to address the Decades of

Underinvestment in our rail network and I trust that the minister will take action on this and support bringing our public transport system in line with the rest of the UK I support this motion as amended as we seek to improve our real infrastructure and make it fit for

Purpose for our future it is my hope that these improvements will be accompanied by similar investment in our roads Network ports and airports as we seek to make Northern Ireland an even more even more attractive place to live work and invest in thank you Mr Deputy

Speaker uh thank you very much indeed to Callum Patrick Bryan thank you uh Mr Deputy speaker and as uh an alliance infrastructure spokesperson uh can I take the opportunity to welcome this motion and indeed the amendment uh real services are are an important driver of our economy key to enhancing connectivity

And Social Capital uh particularly in rural towns and Villages currently underserved by public transport options Oxford economics estimates that for every one pound spent on real in the UK 2.50 is generated in The Wider economy and it is a fact the that the expansion of new lines can bring a significant

Boost and breef life into previously declining Urban centers investing in our public real infrastructure is also a vital step in reducing our carbon footprint and achieving our decarbonization goals by 2050 and it’s particularly positive that the all Island Rail review sets out plans for the electrification of new and existing

Lines it is also vitally important that we continue to work with our colleagues in the Irish government to deliver crossborder schemes and leverage the value of that north south partnership which was demonstrated clearly through last week’s positive announcements around the A5 casement Park narrow Water Bridge and other projects now with no

Offense whatsoever to uh buses and other forms of public transport there is nothing quite like real travel in terms of efficiency comfort and seeing beautiful parts of the world Zip by the window and indeed the real Network on the island of Ireland runs yes certainly fully understand uh Deputy

Speaker and appreciate what he’s saying but would he accept that H if you don’t have a rail Lan it’s very difficult to enjoy uh the benefits of of real travel and the member has another minute the member will uh enjoy the next part uh of

My paragraph As I come to that uh very issue um alas growing up in South d uh it is not something I was personally able to enjoy on a regular basis with my constituency lacking any active public Railway and I believe that we are unique uh in this along with uh strangford and

Mid olster as the only constituencies uh not included or not touched by by the all Island uh review uh and can therefore empathies with our with our I said constituencies but I can empathize with our friends in formana as the only County excluded from the review whilst we may lack a public real

Network my constituency is home to Ireland’s only full-size Heritage Railway the D Patrick and County D Railway a volunteer Le organization who do incredible work to promote the history and Heritage of rail and I think it’s important uh given this opportunity to recognize them in this debate in

Addition to other Heritage realway at foil Valley and Bush Mills because this motion references the role that real plays in enhancing tourism and we must recognize the fact that Railways are a draw for tourists in and of themselves not just as a means of transport and while I understand the need for the

Review to focus on connectivity between main towns and cities it is important that we do not forget about Heritage real ways and the Forgotten track beds that are scattered across our country side in many cases grown over divided by New Roads and housing or repurposed for Greenways and cycle paths whilst there

Is no problem in principle with these uh developments it is somewhat sad that no statutory protections exist for disused railway lines and the important Heritage that they represent and a worthy spin-off of the all Island review could be to look at how we better utilize and care for these important historical

Assets the department for infrastructure could perhaps Begin by looking at high in Partnership with local councils it adequately supports the operation of Heritage Railway associations for example but I thank the proposers uh for bringing this motion uh and those who brought the amendment as well and I’m happy to give it my full

Support uh thank you and I call Ona Murphy please last canier and I want to take um the opportunity to speak on this motion today and I thank the proposers of the motion over the last number of weeks in this chamber I have heard a lot about Regional imbalance in the

Northwest for decades our local economy in formana has been stifled due to the lack of investment and infrastructure in place tourism is a key economic driver for many businesses in our towns and Villages from Lon ski Anis Gillan belu to rle and with the right type type of

Investment we can truly unlock our full potential I’m incredibly lucky to have grown up bes the beautiful shores of lck ir and it would be delighted for local tourism economy to grow so that people can experience our own beautiful part of this island and to see what we have to

Offer it is clear that we need to improve our public transport Network particularly in the Northwest in order to unlock economic opportunities and improve connectivity for workers and families we also need to improve our road infrastructure and on this I warmly welcome Minister od’s announcement last

Week to deliver the long awaited A4 and a skill and bypass this investment will make a significant impact by cutting down Journey times as well as traffic and pollution in Anis skill and Town Center this will be an economic thri for Anis Gillan and indeed for Mana more

Generally on the issue of rail there has been much frustration and disappointment in county formana that the draft all Island strategic rail review did not recommend connections for the county the only County where real provision is not recommended no not not the minute improving public transport in formana is

Vital for alone communities and towns in the county to thrive and prosper and to address Regional imbalance we also need to invest in our public transport to help tackle the climate emergency as it will have a very important role in tackling emissions and pollution on this I appreciate the

Minister will take time to fully consider the all Island Real review and I am confident in developing his departmental plan for the future future delivery of real in the north and across the island that he will look to ensure that the real service works for and benefits everyone including people of formano

Gaga uh thank you very much DED and I thank the member uh the business committee has arranged to meet at 1:00 today and therefore I propose by leave of assembly to suspend the sitting until 2: p.m. the debate will continue after question time when the next member will be called will

Be Gary Middleton the sitting is by leave suspended thank you Mr Deputy speaker um I welcome the opportunity to speak uh today in support of the amended or the amendment put forward in the name of our party uh since the 1950s the Northern Ireland real network has been cut by

Some 450 miles it is evident that we have suffered historical underinvestment in our real Network and services in comparison with regions across the United Kingdom we do not have any Railway electrification currently and there are clear disparities in Access of services in specific areas particularly the Northwest and formana as well

There’s no doubt that it is unacceptable that such a disparity in Services exists across Northern Ireland in terms of real network but also across our infrastructure Network in general it is for this reason that the dup recognizes that the union connectivity review and the all Island strategic Real review

Presents a real opportunity and a vision to improve connectivity throughout the British ISS benefiting our economies and unlocking growth and job opportunities which should benefit all of our communities the motion that’s brought forward itself does little to reflect the importance of both the union connectivity review and the all Island

Strategic Real review nor does it make any reference at all to the UK government and the need for funding investment as my formana colleague M kkin said we need to move Beyond uh the ideas phase we need to move from Ambitions onto delivery so despite the absence of this in the original motion

There also needs to be a recognition of available executive allocations going forward the D has long championed the full implementation of the Union connectivity review recognizing the important that good transport and connectivity can have across the United Kingdom on economic growth jobs and all aspects of our society the union

Connectivity report welcomed the all Island strategic Real review and it’s important to see that in the context of this uh British is wide approach the5 million allocation by the government in response to the connectivity review is welcome but it goes nowhere near far enough to make the progress and

Preparation needed for real change the previous infrastructure ministers ambivalence to that review may go some way to explaining the lack of progress on the northwest and indeed the NES skillin project as well as a party we will commit to work closely with the UK government and and and the Irish

Government and indeed the minister to ensure that these projects get off the ground as soon as possible and that we’re able to deliver the infrastructure that Northern Ireland needs and deserves when I first entered politics back in 2010 the city that I represent uh the change has been incredible in terms of

The Peace Bridge the the new Greenways uh the full the first fully electric uh Metro bus service in the UK uh these are positive changes and what we need to see now is greater prog progress in terms of our real connectivity we do need an urgent update on the phase three London

Der to Coran feasibility study it is encouraging to see the delivery of the Northwest transport Hub however more can and should be done we also need better connectivity between our airports and our sea ports this can be done with investment which will deliver long-term benefits economically and environmentally as well the restoration

Of the Railway line from London der to P down would link the towns of Shan Uma andanan providing an opportunity for greater connectivity across the province there is also an Acceptance in the draft all Island Real review report that individual Pro projects will need further feasibility studies and environmental assessments there’s no

Doubt that significant amounts of funding will be required to move things forward uh but we must invest in order that we can reap the benefits going forward uh in closing uh Mr Deputy speaker I would like to pay tribute to all of the many campaigners over the

Years who have uh put in the effort and voiced their concerns I include into the West in that who have been at the Forefront in their campaigns and we look forward to working with the minister going forward to see some of this stuff come to reality thank you Mr Deputy

Speaker thank you and I call col gildon new can call you and I I I look forward to hearing the debate and I was listening in earlier on um it was I you know extremely fool hearty to see real taken out of parts of terone in South

Throne in in the South throne part OFA South Throne we had a connection through D Ganon and the way and we also had another connection through kadan and that real that’s all that’s all gone and I mean it has left our County um bereft of any rail whatsoever and I know

Formana has been left out of the Strategic review both of which I think need to be addressed so I just would ask the minister in remarks to to comment upon the fact that these H real connections are not just an economic driver they’re also a social connection

And they they they link communities in a way that we now realize actually is much more H environmentally and economically beneficial than perhaps was at a time and I Call On David honeyford thank you Mr Deputy speaker as a lance economy spok spokesperson I welcome this motion on the amendment and

I speak to the motion from an economy point of view to and deliver and connectivity across this island that is needed to renew and to reshape our economy and to grow provide growth and create jobs here in the north of the island good connectivity and infrastructure enables the economy to

Grow it sets the platform in which our economic growth can be built the Belfast Dublin economic Corridor is vital to that expansion and as a member for lag and Valley I also want to see that growth in my own constituency with the development of new economic zones in

Blaris and into the long the M long Cas site which are connected on the island uh and would also support the economic reg uh Regional balance the the all Island review if realized would help deliver on the vital strategic economic growth here and also importantly help to encourage further

Tourism North and building on the 70% of our tourists that fly into Dublin Airport Belfast International Airport the real connection is also vital to the connectivity of the business Community for tourism and for my constituents in the village that the line passes through given that Dublin Airport is

Practically a capacity and passion your numbers there or there’s also an opportunity for Belfast for both airports here to capture the significant growth of numbers and realign passenger numbers across the island which would create uh the opportunity for new routes and new markets locally the early service between

Belfast and Dublin is also a key to having a free frequent reliable service that will attract more growth and boost our economy and that is absolutely vital if we’re to change how people travel and create Modo shift and connectivity is is absolutely key ultimately what I’m I’m

I’m saying is the public transport is a driver of Economic Opportunity and it’s not solely purely environmental uh terms but our climate change commitments for 2030 and and Beyond are critical and there’s a critical need for the minister to focus on that Modo shift uh across Northern Ireland government investment

In transport over sustained period has been seriously lacking but with a new Grand Central uh station development underway we hope and I hope that that’s the first phase of delivery on this and and a change of Direction I would also make a point that while welcoming the the review it is a

Pity that it’s limited solely to just the Real review and didn’t also include include a rapid transport or Transit once you reach each City this could have been included and and the development of further linkage systems such as the expansion of the glider Network in Belfast and potentially looking at

Similar networks like the glider in other towns and cities where this would also improve the network increasing connectivity and encouraging economic growth there again supporting the economic Regional rebalance but it’s not just of how you link towns and Cent cities together it’s also linking places of learning together places of work and medical

Centers but it’s also when you arrive of how you move to complete your journey so let’s be ambitious and be confident in our ability and open the opportunities to look to grow that is something I feel has been missed and something the minister should look seriously at so for

Example in my own constituency in in Lagan Valley a simple glider route like like us in Belfast and this will replicate across other other places where where train links end but a simple Link in lisburn is something that could connect the train station to major industry to Health Center to schools to

Retail centers allowing people to move quickly across the area absolutely thank you M for giving way there I’m just wondering where the glater route would go in for man uh the member has another minute and still no glider thank you thank you member for the extra minute h i i Absol I

Absolutely support uh support that for formana has been missed in this and and and should we should be looking to to see how that would configure but I I I do take the point of the glider it is it is something that we can use rather than

A bus service which is from Center to Source it crosses a a town or or a city and could be used to effect of no data could be used in in skill in his area but 2028 is is a is a mark in our daries uh and hosting the Euros gives us

The focus of mind to deliver at least the low hanging fruit of this all Island plan in time for that tournament and it should focus our minds the circle line or the nocore line from from lisburn to antrum that connects the airport should be reopened and should happen for the

Euro tournament the delivery of the new Fleet of Dublin Enterprise trains running on the a another that should be placed to allow visiting fans traveling and coming to this island to travel between Belfast and Dublin very simply and very quickly that would be a start and at least we could start to move

Towards delivery of this o o of this transport uh policy and and at least the legacy of the Euros would be left for generations to come thank you Mr Deputy speaker thank you very much indeed I call Mr Alan Robinson okay thank you Mr Deputy speaker and I very much welcome the

Opportunity speaking what I and many see as a vital Public Service um our real and bus networks right our are a Lifeline to thousands especially those who Avail the smart path as an MLA representing the Northwest I know that we are largely left behind in terms of investment perhe of population or public

Transport since the 1950s the nor rail network has been cut from 754 to 297 miles many are areas are cut off in the real Network following the closure of their local railway line or station more than five decades ago 6% of workers travel using public transport

While 32% travel to work by car the highest of any UK region when traveling to work in the rest of the United Kingdom public transport is used by it % of workers and just 68% of workers commute by car I do want to pay tribute to those ministers

Who in the past had the foresight to save the lon D Belfast line I know in The Not So distance past there was pressure to close the line between Cory and London der and I’m very much glad that that did not happen and that and that since we have seen an uptake and

People using a real Network the fact passengers can travel from Belfast to Dublin but by train in just over two hours where it takes about the same time to travel between Belfast London da despite being a significantly short distance highlights the significant Regional imbalance it is almost twice as fast to

Travel by Road between Belfast London Derry than by rail over 3 million Journeys were made on the London dery Railway line in 2019 showing a clear demand for good transport links to and from this region I would like to highlight the the proposers of this motion have failed to

Mention within the body of their motion another important report the union connectivity report published a short while back and this report should be embraced by our executive and the minister that report highlighted the huge task at hand for public transport that report highlighted that in 20178 local transport and rail received

Funding of 84 per head the lowest of all the regions of the UK and a 27% of the UK average expenditure public transport n has experienced Decades of owner investment leaving some elements of public transportation unable to adequately meet current and potential user needs and this contributes to the Reliance on

Private rather than public transport Northern irand has a less extensive real Network in many regions and nations of the UK in addition to long-term planning and fun funding people will need to feel that public transport options are fast affordable safe modern and important more importantly available for the journeys

That they make this will require the executive to have a long-term transport infrastructure plan with the backing of the UK government to provide confidence that funding will be available to deliver it I would like to state from a East der uh point of view that I believe

That there should be a new Railway halt in the northwest to promote its role as an economic Hub and specifically to Lon der airport and as part of the future investment being considered from lary to Belfast and beyond that a l of Aris spur should be examined and can I just end by

Saying that the success of the ballerina halt investment has shown that the approach of buildit and they will come has paid off but I do implore the minister to please get on with providing the long awaited new upgrade to the current car parking facilities at Bina thank you thank you call

Matthew thank you uh to my colleague Mark Durkin for bringing this motion to the assembly today we can hear um the engagement we can hear the breadth of interest and passion that the subject of our real Network it’s pasted it’s frustrating at times present and its huge potential future brings and what

We’re debating today is a once in a-lifetime opportunity to look again at how we move people and goods and the goods part is important across this island we can all look back and and it’s important that we do look back to A Century of frankly Devastation on our rail network on this island

Particularly in the north of this island particularly but not exclusively in relation to crossborder lines we can all regret uh if we uh drive down the road uh we can’t actually get the train from here even though the old down Patrick and County Down Railway that runs to my

Hometown of down Patrick was mentioned earlier on uh is now the cumber Greenway if we drive down the Dual carriageway we get to the old the uster Transport Museum in cultr and we can look we can look at the map as it slowly weers as it slowly as lines connections and

Opportunity slowly dries up and dropped off over the 20th century this to my knowledge is the first time a chamber on these islands has discussed a Strategic investment plan for the real Network on this island in more than a century so as well as looking back it’s

Important that we look forward to that to the 20 to a 21st century I hope of new connections and possibility in the last century we’ve seen as I said Decades of scaling back of our Network and even as recently as 20 years ago we closed the line from lisburn to Anam

Which was mentioned before by Mr honeyford and of course as others have said teron formana Don go Monahan and Cavin have lost their real networks entirely and I will come on to the formana point because it’s an important one and it’s one of the reasons why we have some difficulty with the amendment

Uh in the last 20 years we have seen the tide begin to turn the Belfast and Dairyland which has been referenced multiple times has seen its transport its uh it’s um the numbers grow and people have regularly used the the famous phrase from Field of Dreams if

They build it and they will come in the most recent stats available the ni Railways Network saw almost 13 million passengers use its service while the pre-co high 15 million uh also marked a high in Ni Railways 50 years of existence but Mr uh Deputy speaker as an

Island we are among the most car dependent regions in Western Europe with almost 70% of Journeys in the North being made by car while only 2% 2% of Journeys are made by public transport that is bluntly shameful and it’s our fault as legislators as people who do public

Policy for not providing uh that option for our people between 2005 and 2015 Capital spending on the realway network amounted to just 22 pounds ahead that is far behind uh Great Britain who spend five times as much five times as much over the same period our Railways have

Thrived in spite of some of the under funding from previous gener Generations um they have uh thrived not just because uh people want to use them but because of the dedicated work of campaigners including into the West which has been mentioned I am proud that it was an sdlp

Minister nickol malan the previous executive who announced uh and and Drew forward new P perhaps I shouldn’t use the phrase the verb to drive the all Island Rail review forward uh the department of infrastructure and Department of Transport in the South published their draft report last year which estimated a 31 billion pound

Investment over the next few decades now our motion today is not about saying all this is going be done today this week or next year Minister it’s about saying we need to start the work now you and your officials need uh I and I hope you will

Go away and start the work of planning and costing this plan and that is what uh this motion is all about the Deep profound structural challenges of regional balance and climate change that we’ve talked about today demand no less that Vision in the all Island strategic

Real riew is one that can Inspire us Inspire us across uh this island let me just say briefly in relation to the the amendment because it’s come up a couple of times the the difficulty we have with it is not really anything that’s actually in the text of the amendment

Itself because it’s pretty unobjectionable the difficulty is in what it takes out of our original Amendment and one critical few some critical few words in our amendment is every County in Ireland which would include for Mana the wonderful glorious Lakeland County of formana your Amendment removes formana I’m afraid um

Uh through the chair murin so I’m afraid that’s why we have some difficulty not because of our any views we have on the union connectivity review uh there are some positive things in that but um uh it’s actually to do with I’m happy to give away if the member wants

To dramatic pause uh I than the I thank the member for giv way I mean it should be a given that we should be promoting every County in Northern Ireland and I think the member would understand that that surely it’s a given that we would want to promote every County in Northern

Ireland as we have indicated and and and indeed sorry the UK uh the connectivity report actually does say about vermana and the county in it so okay thank you very much well look uh I think it isn’t a given I’m afraid and I think it is important that we uh are

Clear that we need to that our original uh motion not as I say I’m not disputing lots of what’s in the amendment most of what’s in the amendment is sensible but it does remove the reference to every County in Ireland not just Northern Ireland because this is an all Island

Real View and that does matter uh to us and others because this is about n Island context there is a booth Islands context which we acknowledge um uh but I’m afraid because of the the the change uh that it it it randers to the to our

Motion we have difficulty with it and Mr uh Deputy speaker in drawing uh my remarks to a close uh this is something that is inspirational this is something uh that should allow our people particularly our young people to look Beyond a horizon which is not just anxiety about uh the climate emergency

And frustration at the limitations of politics here but but what we something we can do that’s transformational not just a modal shift out of cars into transport not just connecting um uh this island up in a way uh that we that we haven’t seen before but actually something that politics can do something

Transformational and hopeful this is long-term stuff and why else do we seek office why else do we get into politics other than to do things like this the M bring his we spend a lot of time in the past Mr Deputy speaker in this place let’s start building the future call Justin

Mnol car I am pleased have the opportunity to support this motion today and I thank the motion Bringers my sdlp party colleagues Matthew UL Mark Durkin shin and Danny mcon the all Island strategic Real review commissioned by our former infrastructure Minister Nicola malen presented a once in the generation opportunity to transform real

Infrastructure on this island and it’s heartening that the groundwork led by down by Minister Malon is now taking shape the spectrum of opportunities contained within the all Island strategic gr review will provide a huge social environmental and economic uplift for communities the length and breadth of this island for people in my own

Constituency the reestablishment of real connectivity to armas city will be a GameChanger for commuters traveling to both Belfast and Dublin and the enhancement of capacity at services from yri will help to close the gap of disadvantage that communs in yri currently face relative to their carts in other parts of the

North Beyond enhancing commuter connectivity full implementation of this report would Mark a Quantum Leap Forward empowering Ordinary People to push back against the climate Crisis full implementation of this report would Forge an unprecedented partnership approach between the government and ordinary people in decarbonizing our society and transitioning away from unsustainable transport

Practices every one of us has heard at infin itm of the pressing need to take individual responsibility for the environmental challenges we face but quite often often ordinary people are left uncertain as to how as to how behavioral changes on their part can have a meaningful impact upon the the

Crisis there in lies a fundamental challenge in meaningfully combating the climate crisis the fact that there is a responsibility on the part of the government to provide citizens with the ne necessary tools to play their part in addressing that climate crisis that is what the review provides trans transformative investment to make

Sustainable practices accessible to all in addition to the environmental impact of this transformation the potential for profound soci social and economic uplift must be seized as well take tourism for example International tourists traveling through this island overwhelmingly arrive in Dublin Airport as the point of entry without adequate infrastructure to

Access areas like the Ring of Gan the mo mountains the glands of antrum and the ancient city of ARA the size of the economic footprint left by International tourists will inevitably be diminished in that respect implementation of this review serves to facilitate Regional equity and ensures that every nuk and

Cranny of our island is accessible to overseas visitors not just Urban centers the tangible social impact of implementation is something to be welcomed also implementation of this review will bring jobs and investment to parts of of the north that are crying out for it through laying new lines building new stations manufacturing new

Equipment and transport infrastructure beyond that it will address the significant and stubborn issues with respect to rural isolation at present transport infrastructure for people in places like Dar new in rural County Arma don’t provide reliable access to Urban centers it leaves people with no option but to

Use their car to get from A to B I think particularly of our elderly generation and the social legislation that that reality causes especially if they have limited or no access to private transport whether it is visiting friends or family traveling to a theater trip to

The zoo or undertaking a trip to have dinner with your grandchildren at University the cost of a taxi is prohibitive and if you do have a car of your own more often than not driving to the nearest train station seems pointless because by the time you get

There you’re already 60% of the way there to your destination the real and tangible difference that an overhaul in real connectivity could bring for people in isolated rural areas would be immeasurable count cor I have already acknowledged the Starling work of former infrastructure my sdlp colleague Nicola Malin and having the leadership to

Commission this review the recommendations contained within this are far-reaching and transformational the investment required to realize its full potential is significant but 70% 75% of the capital commitment coming from the Irishman government this is it truly is a once in a generation opportunity to restore Ireland’s real infrastructure if I one message for

Infrastructure Minister today it would be to grasp this opportunity with both hands progress this report at PS this project pce and ensure that the transformational impact of this strategic Real review is felt in communities in every part of the north un likee you Minister we may not see it

I may not see it but we must build a legacy for the future I take a line from shim M my predecessor his book a sure at home place a society grows great when old men and women plant trees in whose shade they will never sit

May uh as it’s indicated there is only one remaining member to speak I’ve decided to exercise the Gris period in accordance with standing order 174 over to to you Jerry Carl Duty speaker uh hope that Trend continues but thank you um I think the state of Ireland’s real network uh is

The perfect representation of the ruling class delusion it’s a delusion that says spending cuts and the manage de claan of Public Services is not only financially prudent but also necessary to inspire confidence in business Elites and stimulate economic growth and people people uh will no doubt be familiar I

Think it was referred to earlier but the British civil servant Richard beaching who L the charge in cutton Railway services in Britain and the same Cuts were then opposed on people in the north and like much else aminan Deputy speaker from London’s political Elite it has been an unmitigated disaster for

Workingclass communities if you look at the experience of the Northwest and of rural communities which have been virtually cut off from the real network uh you can see the effects of these nonsensical policies first of all it must be say the public expanding Cuts including cuts to public transport have

Been absolutely devastating for the priate areas right across this island and secondly the impact of a broken public transport network uh on a daily basis is ring havoc on people’s uh health and on our environment that speaker uh people here will know uh Earth pollution is amongst the biggest

Killers worldwide responsible for over 7 million deaths every single year not only is it slashing uh years of people’s lives but it’s also cost the NHS billions of pounds every single year to treat people often poor people impacted by respiratory diseases and cancer so while governments across these islands

Including this executive cut public transport spending they’re costing the public person more money in the long run not to mention the cost on people’s Health the Tories for their part have spent around 4 billion a year uh on fuel Duty cuts incentivizing the use of priva cars whil privatizing the public

Transport network but it’s not just the Tories Deputy speaker time and the game with seen trans link Furs hecked and services reduced in real terms last year in the middle of a cost of living crisis one of the worst ones ever trans link FS were uh disgracefully hacked and the

Decline of public transport is happening on storman Watch and as we speak the department of infrastructure is considering ending limiting restricting free travel for over 6 days and I would call the minister today to bend this proposal people have made it clear their opposition to this uh proposal through

Protests and through thousands of submission to the permanent secretary before he was in office so bend that proposal all of s Deputy speaker tells us we should be encouraging more people to use public transport to cut emissions as people have said and avert climate catastrophe

And the storm it seems to be headen in the complete opposite direction whereas other countries are moving the free total free uh public transport and heavily in some cases uh public transport were hurting towards disaster in the opposite direction analysis shows a Belfast is the most car dependent City

In the UK with more than 70% of all Journeys in the in the North in Belfast rather uh taken by car we need to urgently turn the tide if we were to meet uh our climate emission targets we’ll be supporting the motion today obviously the N for all Ireland Railway

System couldn’t be more Stark but this kind of expansion cannot um be coupled with aurity measures take them with one hand and cut them with the other which will simultaneously discourage the use of public transport impact on People’s Health and impact on our environment and we need to address uh all these issues

Uh if we’re to move towards a public transport Network that is free at the point of service and pay for through progressive taxation in terms of the amendment I mean I generally support um more demands on the British government they’ve underfunded this place uh for decades and any sort of pressure on them

Is good but the amendment takes it the pressure uh that Focus off the department of infrastructure maybe that’s an executive tactic by executive parties maybe it’s mistake I don’t know but for our end I think it’s problematic for that reason and we can’t support it and we’re happy to support the amend the

The motion on amend it thank you thank you and Minister you have 15 minutes govern first of all I would like to thank the stlp for raising the debate on the all Island strategic Real review and the future of real Services across the island and to the dup for bringing

Forward their Amendment I’m Keen that we are ambitious around our real Network and maximize the potential of real to to support social and economic development and the environmental sustainability of our transport system the rail R viw is an ambitious piece of work which has the potential to transform our real Network

It offers an opportunity to deliver real and Lasting change for people communities on our Island economy through faster through faster speeds and greatly improved frequency new routes particularly across the west and north and widening accessibility connectivity across the island the benefits of enhanced rail connections are many investment in the railway drives jobs

And growth stimulates development and regeneration and unlocks housing Supply by creating better transport links these links can bring communities previously cut off from public transport with an easy reach of towns and cities boosting access to Services jobs and education and helping to address Regional imbalance rail has also an important

Role to play in tackling the climate emergency having a lower environmental impact than than any other modes of Transport by emitting less carbon and consuming less energy um decarbonization of the real network will further enhance these benefits and it is a key objective of the review an improved expanded

Accessible rail network across the island will also deliver environmental benefits by encouraging modal shift and in the process reducing congestion and emission and improving safety some of the key recommendations and interventions in respect of the north include decarbonization of the real Network including electrification of the Bas Dublin line frequency speed and

Capacity improvements in the balast Dublin and balast da lines new Lanes from balast jri and pedar to DAR and just to clarify on on Mr durkin’s comment in relation to the speed of the ported IR to Dairy connection it is planned for that that real Network to

Have a 200 km an hour speed speed on it so it is a high speed connection um new L as I say new Landes in Bast y ped down to DAR and cross border routs from Dar County and Port it down to molar reinstating the railway line between lisbourne and Anam enabling

Bast International earthw to be connected to the rail network and improving existing rail connections at George B Bal City Airport as well and I’m also conscious that there has been concerns raised about the proposed lack of connection to the city of Dar airport which is thinking something as the

Review moves on because we are talking about an investment over 25 30e period you know and as been said there have been a number of ministers in position before this come to conclusion there is huge opportunities now we have opened up the debate about improving our Railway services for connections particularly to

Our ports onto our airports a very quick intervention a couple of very quick L hanging for questions with the minister work with his officials casement in 2028 Bal moral station could be upgraded with better signage to get people to casement on Belfast City Airport s SDM station there but very very poor

Signage I note in the last hour and a half in the chamber we’ve spent a few billion pounds and the debate before me there was a few billion pounds spent you know so I I would like to prioritize everything but even in furnace to assembly members and assembly colleagues

You’re going to have to start prioritizing because we can’t there’s not billions to spend so it is well you’re the opposition you you through the chair you Dro me up a list of things you don’t want me to spend money on which will leave the things I can’t spend money on so

Finalizing the ra view puts us on the path to delivering these interventions is one of my key priorities as priorities as an infrastructure Minister while these recommendations which will grow and enhance your real Network are to be welcomed I recognize that many are disappointed by the emissions of real

Connections and Forman as several speakers have raised this point today the provision of real services to fman in particular Anna skillin was considered as part of the review however the review reported that the proposed Railway line did not appear to stimulate sufficient demand to support in real

Service within the time frame for the review therefore in the view of the reports authors a real service and skill would be unlikely to represent good Fue for money at this time the review instead found that a higher frequency integrated BS L between Alice Skil and

Real stations such as om and ganet may provide a better public transport option however many officials are continuing to explore the viability of rail services to formana with the appointed review consultants and will report back to me in this matter in coming weeks I am Keen

To extend the real Network to as many parts of the country as possible while the review extends to 2050 the intention is to build in review points over that time period should this latest analys continues to report that real services to Forman are not avable within the time

Frame of that review these review periods will allow for consideration of that decision at a later stage this review is an example an excellent example of joint collaborative working AC on crossb priorities I am committed to continuing that partnership with working with sing colleagues to realize the extent of the Ambitions of the

Review and discussions between my officials have been continuing even when the on the their southern counterparts hobing continuing even when the assembly was done and I intend I will be engaging with Minister ran uh next week in in relation to this on a number of other matters as well if the reviews

Recommendations are implemented in full the coming decades the capital cost is estimated to be over 30 billion in 2023 prices for the north the total cost estimate is 7.7 billion which is approximately .31 billion per Alum over 25 year period y um I thank the minister for giving away

He’s just talked there about the cost and I welcome what he has said in relation to officials engaging particularly with regards for Mana that will also increase cost as well so would he accept that engaging with the department for transport from a Westminster point of view is also needed in relation to this

Cost and I have no difficulty in engaging with the Department of Transport and I’ll on to the connectivity review uh shortly within my remarks um there is a responsibility in the British government to help fund this project uh on on other transport projects uh in the north

Um we we all pay taxes to the treasury so we have all invested in the tax regime so we expect to a better return on it and as was noted by the Finance Minister earlier it has now been accepted that we are underfunded so I certainly will be engaging with the

Department of transp transport around this project and other projects which I believe uh the British government should be investing in um there’s this is a significant investment one which can deliver multiple benefits for our people our economy and our environment given the scale of the in uh interventions and

The magnitude of transformation involved delivering these benefits will undoubtedly be challenging and will require support from the executive colleagues and the necessary resources being made available to my department we will also look at all Avenues of funding available given the importance of this work in terms of economic activity and

Connectivity the review was released for public consultation from July to September last year my officials are working closely with their southern colleagues to address the issues raised through the consultation and finalize the review however the final finalization of the review is only the starting point the reviews recommendations provide policy makers

And ministers in both jurisdictions with an evidence-based framework to form future investment decisions more detailed work will be needed to test the feasibility and affordability of the recommendations and guide future investment decisions one of the key initial steps will be the prioritization of the review recommendations and development of an implementation plan

May officials are already engaging with our Southern colleagues on these matters with the regards to ongoing developments uh in relation to real my department has in recent years invested over 100 million pound in major rail projects in in the Northwest that includes phase one

And two of the cold rain to Da track ra uh project totaling over 70 million as well as a Northwest multimodal transport Hub amounting to over 27 million however I accept more can be done and that is why my department approved the business casys for phase three of the cold R

Dairy project November 2022 and made available over 97 million of translate to take this project forward y appreciate those uh figures uh can the minister commit to R any changes in the concessionary F scheme which would restrict limit or stop free travel for people uh over 60 my officials and I are currently

Discussing the consultation responses to that document my intent is to retain the services as they are I will have to engage most likely with my executive colleag around how we secure the budget for that but my intention is to secure the services as they are um a separate feasability study examine the

Introduction of a half hour hourly service between Dar and Bast which will consider the possibility of an additional real house on the Korean to Da line including at da City airport is also being progressed and will inform future investment in this area we all are aware that transport is

The single second largest emitter of greenhous gas decarbonization of Transport is vitally important if we are to meet the targets set out in the climate change act the real network will play an increasing important role as we seek to encourage people to move to more sustainable transport options and at the

Same time we must seek to reduce the emissions from our Rolling Stock as part of that process a first step is the procurement of a new Enterprise Fleet that will enable to operate on battery and electric power uh you will be able you will be aware however that given the

Many competing Budget prior ities that my department faces funding our public transport services remains challenging I can also assure you that we continue to seek funding for our public transport network with my executive colleagues especially given the clear role of public transport in helping to address the climate emergency alongside support

For many other for many of the executives other priorities including health education and the economy as many members have pointed out in relation to public transport services because the benefits of public transport services particularly real doesn’t end at the real station I think Mr honey for pointed that out and we we obviously

Will be as part of the proposes moving forward ensuring that there’s connectivity from our real stations to the public services as well because it is important also for our economy and I think Mr gildon you also point out in terms of the economic benefits of investment in real Services decisions

Made in this place 60 years ago need to be reversed I the at that time obviously the growth of the private car was driving decision-making processes Mr Carl refers to the austerity measures it’s not a new thing being introduced at that time as well uh and the proposals

To move away from public transport and a bid to save money they were mistaken now we’ve had 60 years of hindsight to correct that but we have an opportunity now through this report to correct the mistakes of the past to have huge opportunities for all our people

Across these islands and ensure that no one’s Left Behind thank you thank you very much indeed Minister and I call on uh ke Buchanan to wind on the amendment and you have five minutes speaker I think I’ve ripped too many notes so if I met anybody I’ll

Apologize in advance um so I’ll cover obviously individually people’s comments broadly so Mark Durkin referred to the S LP’s commitment to all Ireland rail the decarbonization of public transport and refer to um the Northwest being isolated the northwest of Ireland Northern Ireland whatever uh refer to the isolation of that area and appreciate

That um and he also referred as comments to the increase in numbers year on year to London der and obviously the upgra people taking public transport increased year and year and obviously the train travel being the environmentally friendly option Deborah kin and her remarks then referred is to I made a few

Several points is expertise there to deliver for the project is it actually out there um and then refer to the report should be out late spring 30 recommendations within the report and obviously Comm mentioned connection to Belfast International Airport as one of the recommendation inde other airports

And obviously made the point on several other members and I’ll touch on individually is made the point about formana and the regional imbalance to the west or Southwest of Northern Ireland and why is it not on the part of the 32 County the 26 and six which we

All know is 32 uh why is it not there uh Al also referred to the nor Ireland audit report and the issues with delivery and costs um associated with a infrastructure type of uh projects like this Cal Bo and then um frequent reliable travel referred to travel by

Train under investment and it La over years welcome funding recently by the Irish government uh for the additional travel north south and and then unlocking opportunities Peter mcran has referred to uh stimulating economic growth uh there’s a few difference of opinions in respect to Journeys you

Refer to 70% of Journeys by car broadly uh the climate change threat and then the low emission transport Network John Stewart referred to lack of Transport in the west of Province again the firman point uh mention hydrogen part trains Etc and the airport Access like others had mentioned uh costing the project and

Reference the timeline 25 years to 25 years to complete over five mandates several different ministers uh and mentioned some um issues with real Lanes on his own area in the future going to be going to be underwater which is obviously a big issue um parre referred to the union conductivity report on the

East strengthen on the west being neglected in that and referred to the committed Minister that we have in front of us um going forward Steven dun referred to the airport connections the fiscal challenge that exist more broadly and demand that um exist for real travel and refer to Banger to balast but the

Increas in numbers there Patrick Brown then referred to one pound spent uh prevent comes in a 250 income and is gener which is generated uh electrification of new and existing Lanes uh mentioned the formal issues we refer to um no ST Duty protection for unused Railways or rail tracks and also

Mentioned but the hardage railways and their importance Anya Murphy then referred to tourism and the potential of the has and for Mana traffic and then the scale town center and obviously the reduction that would have if this was implemented uh also referred to from Manor obviously and the climate

Emergency Gary Middleton then uh referred to the suffering of historical underinvestment uh available executive allocation for this referred to positive changes in the city uh he represents in this past 10 years more broadly colum gilan you refer to South terone and formana and the future connections there and in the future David honeyford

Um referred to renewing and reshaping the economy by good infrastructure build on current tourism public transport is a driver of change also talked about glater rot and connection of these from TR to Industry trans station industry CES the point and I don’t think there a ligher mention of for on that at this

Stage for Tom here um Alan Robinson Alan Robinson referred to those traveling on the public transport by smart pass 82% workers travel by car to work the new Railway halt in the Northwest near the airport he was referring to or wanted uh build it and they will come Matthew to

Then referred to move people in Goods which I think was a good point referred to just more than people it’s obviously Goods as well across these islands uh referred to 31 million billion pound investment and it was inspirational Justin MCN uh was a once in a generation opportunity connection to RAR City

Individually responsible for the environment uh grasp opportunity to to the m draw remarks to close please and then I’ll finish this with the minister sorry Jer um Keen to support the real network uh stimulates to development of jobs and the debate is now open I think the minister referred to the

Conversation now can start at this point Thank you thank you very much I’ll call on Daniel mccrosson to uh wind the debate and you have 10 minutes uh thank you very much Mr Speaker I think at the uh today’s debate shows one thing that this is an issue that we all feel so

Strongly about and I in particular uh being from terone uh know more than most uh the real deficit in terms of infrastructure that exists this map that my colleague Mark durin held up earlier tells the story in itself no words are needed there’s a clear problem with this

Picture and uh generations of people have suffered uh as a result of a lack of investment in the west this is an issue that has plagued uh the west and and across Ireland in terms of her connectivity for many many years decades ago real Services were stripped away

From teron formana Donny Gul ryen dere as touched on by members across this chamber today effectively cutting off the West out of real transport the real Transportation picture this shortsighted decision as pointed out rightly by the minister has exacerbated the already blatant disregard for the West leaving

Us feeling and I can say this strongly because it’s feedback I receive a lot from people like second class citizens in terms of infrastructure and real connectivity it is time to acknowledge the past neglect and advocate for change and I think that there’s a United voice in recognition of that but there are

Members in this house today that have had the luxury of enjoying real connectivity uh for all of their lives all we have is the treacherous dangerous A5 Road the A5 has taken a the sdlp has taken a proactive stance by spearheading the consultation on the all Ireland Real

Review led by Nicola malen this comprehensive review aims to rectify the Decades of neglect that the Northwest the West has endured in terms of infrastructure real is not just about Transportation it is about safety the environment the economy and most importantly connecting communities across this island a well-developed real

Network Fosters economic growth reduces carbon emissions and enhances social cohesion by Bridging the physical gaps between or regions and this has been pointed out by numerous members today imagine the potential transformation that awaits us and selfishly speaking Mr Speaker when straban and Uma are seamlessly connected to Don G der

Formana and the rest of this island through a reliable real system the connectivity will not only enhance the quality of life uh of our people but also unlock new opportunities for economic development and cultural change let us not Overlook the practicality and value of investing in real infrastructure it makes sense on so

Many levels by prioritizing real connectivity in the west and across this island we are making a commitment to a sustainable and prosperous future for all of our citizens I will indeed than this being a kind of writing a check for billions or asking for a check for billions as was said

Previously by the minister actually what we’re all we’re asking for is a costed plan we realize this isn’t going to take this is going to take more than Years it’ll take decades but you also agree with me that there’s not an increased borrowing or the executive has under rri

And they could look to invest some of that in expanding real absolutely I agree with my colleague the the first step to ensuring change in relation to rail is is making your first move and I would hope that the minister uh will will do that in ensuring that we take a step forward

Collectively together towards achieving and rectifying uh this deficit for over a century trains rattled across the land linking towns to cities but that came to halt in 1965 a decision that ended A Century of real access for teron and Donal and stripped the west of most of its infrastructure

The decline began just after partition which was touched on earlier in this house and partition disrupted trade on many uh natural rits the closure also severed a vital link between the Northwest and the west of the island uh and Dublin since these closures two whole Generations have been raised in

Teron and D without access to a transport Mo transport mode uh that much of the rest of this island takes for granted I will indeedly and appreciate remember given way would he also accept that uh the troubles in Northern Ireland caused a huge problem for the real Network

Particularly the Belfast to Dublin Lane where it was plagued with bomb scares and indeed bombs on the railway Lan the biggest Act of selfir on our infrastructure of all aspects is the troubles there’s there was much disruption uh uh caused to our infrastructure and much destroyed that we’ve never actually properly been able

To replace so I I thank the member for the intervention The public’s desire to see real return and expand across the West has remained strong ever since it was removed this is shown when the public consultation held as part of the crossb O Island rview strategy received its highest number of contrib contrib

Contributions from the fanana OM and Daran stban districts confirming the huge interest that exists across uh the west of Northern Ireland for the return and expansion of our real Network my favorite paragraph I must ad admit Mr Speaker in the whole report was the restoration of a line from Dair to PTO

And onto letter can in County Donal would link the large towns of stanan Uma andanan to the real Network and greatly improved inter city connectivity from the Northwest to Belfast in Dublin that is a line a paragraph that gives great hope to the people in in my area that

Have been deprived from decent infrastructural links for a generation people in West trone and many areas across the north have been let down by substandard Rail and public transport links for far too long I like many others uh are reminded constantly of our real way Heritage through abandoned

Tracks and station houses across uh our constituencies many of which have become Greenways just recently in this this week there’s one opened in stban I have to say it’s a fantastic investment local area but now we’re talking about this we’re seeing uh uh a need to ensure that

We protect those roots a cruel reminder of the railways available to past Generations uh for hundreds of years when it was launched by Minister Nicola M and Minister Iman Ryan I said that the O Ireland Real review was once in a generation opportunity to address the lack of real infrastructure in my

Constituency and in many others and that is the theme Mr Speaker that has come across this house today there’s a great sense of hope and excitement about about this conversation the review provided us with a unique opportunity to completely reimagine our real Network creating a fit forp purpose crossborder service

Hugely expanding the number of rots available and getting people where they need need to be in a timely efficient and safe Manner and I put safe in there Mr Speaker because again I’ll say as a as a member for West Heron we take for granted every day that there’s many

People who go out the door to go to work to to carry out their duties to take their children to school unfortunately have not come home because of the treacherous infrastructural issues that are in my constituency and in others I argued in the submission to the review

That West Heron must form an important part of these plans as dedicated as a dedicated Hub that serves the North and South if we’re going to address historic issues around lack of jobs investment improves people’s standard of living then we need modern transport links that meet the needs of our population

Connecting three which is this is pointed out by Mr Stewart connecting three in terms of some airports connecting three of the islands main airports Dublin Belfast the Belfast International and Shannon to the real Network would give 90% of commercial Aviation passengers access by train and I welcome the comments by Minister OD in

Relation to Derry because it would truly add to the sustainability of Derry City Airport if we had actual access directly in to that airport it would be transformational for the economy in that part of the island 2/3 of the islands uh Freight tonnage would pass through ports

Served by the railway network if all of its recommendations were delivered the review Author suggest 700,000 more people across the island of Ireland would live within 5 kmers of its train station boasting uh boosting Real catchment by 25% on today’s uh totals we’ll never be able to improve our

Economy unless we offer adequate transport to all major towns and cities on this island including uh places like Ana skel and formana which has been left out of the review we need the infrastructure minister to bring back costed implementation plan this year and we need to deliver real options for my

Constituency for for mana and every County on this island together let us advocate for a comprehensive and inclusive real Network that serves the needs of every single Community including those in the west the time for change is now we must work together towards a brighter and better connected

Future for all our children this debate is much more uh than about real in itself it is as rightly pointed out about addressing a historical deficit a wrong from many years ago and we have an opportunity in this house today to step forward together to offer all of our people a much better

Future thank you very much indeed and thank you indeed for all the speakers uh on the debate today the question is that the amendment standing in the names of Deborah kin Keith Buchanan and Steve dunby made all those in favor say I I contrary no

No we’re going to have to do it yeah okay e yes e e e order order members will resume their seats come on come on come on the question is that the amendment standing in the names of Deborah kin Keith Buchanan and Steven dumby made all those in favor say I

Contary do we have tellers e spe e e order order uh tellers have been appointed as follow follows tellers for the eyes are Harry Harvey and Gary Middleton tellers for the nose are Mark Durkin and Chen mlin clear the lobby the assembly will divide eyes to my right nose to my left took

E e e spe e e secure the doors e e e e e order and members can you resume your seats Mark there we go thank you Clark could you please read the result 69 members voted 25 members voted i 4 four members voted no the amendment therefore Falls the amendment Falls therefore

Unfasten the doors the question is that the motion standing in the order uh sorry the question is that the motion standing in the order paper be agreed all those in favor say I I cont knows the eyes have it the eyes have it thank you e