A €300 million rail link between Donegal and Limerick is now under way, with the state’s transport minister saying the project will not only connect the south to the north, but will help build a network of roads and ferries.
Mr Ryan said the link is part of the government’s commitment to invest in new infrastructure to boost the Dublin region’s economy and help it meet its 2050 targets.
“This is a project that will deliver real value for the taxpayers of Ireland,” he said.
“There will be a rail link, a ferry link and a train link to help bring people from Doneca to Limi.”
The idea is that this link is going to provide a real link to the south and east.
It’s going to help lift the productivity and prosperity of Donegal, Limerick and Dublin and bring those cities together.
“It’s a very exciting project that is going ahead in this country and we’re all very excited about it.”
Dublin’s transport hub will link Donegal with Limerick via a 1.3km route, which will then be connected to the Dublin Rail Link.
“In my lifetime, there have been very few times when we’ve been able to create a link between a city and the countryside,” said Mr Ryan.
“And we are going to do that now, through the new rail link.”‘
I can see Dublin and Limbo as one big island’The €300million link will connect the two cities through the Donegal-Limerick railway tunnel, which is being built on the edge of the island.
It will have the capacity to transport 300,000 passengers a day, which would put it in contention with some of the country’s busiest train stations.
Dublin will also be able to host its own high-speed rail service and ferry service between the two city centres.
Mr Paul Murphy, the minister for transport, said it was an exciting time to be a part of this project.
“I can certainly see Dublin as one of the biggest islands in Europe, with many of the best places to live and work, so we are very excited to see this link being developed,” he told the Irish Independent.
“What it means for the future of Dublin and the entire region is that we will have much more connectivity between Doneca and Limi, which in turn will have many jobs and a much better quality of life for our residents.”
Dubois, Limbo and Cork are among the regions where the government has committed to investing in new transport infrastructure.
