Speech by the Minister for Transport, Mr. Noel Dempsey TD, at the official opening of Phoenix Park Rail Station

Date: 22 January 2008

I am delighted to be here today for the opening of another new railway station. We opened the Docklands and Adamstown stations last year. Today we have the Phoenix Park Station. And next up will be the new stations on the Kildare line and Clonsilla-Dunboyne - Phase one of the new Navan rail line.

New station

This station is a perfect example of the partnership approach between the public and private sectors that has served this country so well over the past decade. The beautiful new station, was funded by Flynn O Flaherty developers and is operated and designed by Iarnród Éireann.

Top class public transport is central to the future of transport policy in this country and PPPs such as this help to deliver the necessary rail infrastructure as quickly as possible.

I look forward to Iarnród Éireann working with the private sector on other rail infrastructure projects into the future. Thousands of hard-pressed commuters are demanding new rail services and we must continue to respond as quickly as possible.

This new station is the latest part in the transformation of the railway network. Major investment in our rail network is ongoing and it's starting to make a real difference to commuters. In 1997 we spent €120 million on improving our rail network. This year we will more than €530 million.

Since 1999 nearly €2 billion has been invested by the Exchequer in the upgrade of the railway network and rolling stock and this investment will continue with Transport 21 projects up to 2015.

There has been incredible growth in recent years in Irish rail passenger numbers from 29 million in 1997 to 47 million in 2007 and this figure continues to grow. The trains servicing our rail network today are unrecognisable compared to those of only a decade ago.

This new station will serve a particularly busy section of our rail network. I am particularly aware that with the explosion in population along the Maynooth rail line in recent years the network has struggled to keep pace. That's why we have focused our attention on this line. That's why we now have plans to ease some of the pressure for the commuters who use this service every day.

Over the coming weeks and months commuter carriages currently in use on the Sligo line will be added to the Maynooth line. This will provide new space for over 1,200 passengers during peak commuting hours.

Additional rail services are also planned for the Docklands station in 2009 and 2010. This offers an increasingly attractive alternative for many commuters on the Maynooth line. This service will be particularly useful for commuters when the new Docklands Luas service begins towards the end of next year.

Today the 151 bus provides an excellent feeder service to the city centre from the Docklands station at peak time offering commuters a reliable, integrated service. It makes sense if more commuters use the Docklands station as part of their commuter route. It less busy and it's a short 10 minute walk to Connolly station if you're in you're in the mood to walk.

Also funding has been made available under Transport 21 for the electrification and re signalling of the Maynooth line which will lead to a very significant increase in frequency on all services. I am particularly keen to see this re-signalling project progressed as quickly as possible as I know the immediate impact that it will have on the frequency of services right across the rail network.

Once the new underground DART interconnector is in place by 2015 this line will see new high frequency services with trains up to every 5 minutes at peak time.

These are our short and medium term plans to ease the pressure on the hard pressed commuters who use this line every day.

We have ambitious plans for our rail network to make it as efficient, safe, cost effective and reliable as any in Europe. Today's event is just one in a growing number of major project completions that we hope to celebrate over the coming years.

Over the lifetime of the Transport 21 programme €16 billion will be spent on improving public transport in this country. This Government is committed to offering commuters a real alternative to the car.

We are acting now to free up our towns and cities from choking traffic congestion. A project like this station - that offers reliable, modern public transport on your doorstep is the future. Commuting by car is quickly becoming the past.

Conclusion

I congratulate all involved in bringing this new facility on stream particularly for being able to do so without causing disruption to existing services on this line. I wish all who use and provide the service safe travelling.