Debate contribution: All-island Rail Fares

Debate contribution by Mr Justin McNulty on 3 December 2024.

MLA

Mr Justin McNulty

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

3 December 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

All-island Rail Fares

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4690921

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I beg to move

Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

I have brought the motion to the House to address the shocking disparity in rail fares between the North and the Republic. The simple fact of the matter is that commuters in the North are being saddled with an enormous and unequal cost burden relative to our neighbours across the border. That fact is illustrated dramatically by the reality that a one-way fare from Newry to Belfast costs £14·50, whereas a one-way fare from Dundalk to Belfast costs just £6·85. That is a difference of 111%. That bears saying again: a difference of 111%. A journey from Newry to Belfast, which is shorter, on the same train on the same train line costs more than double the price of a journey from Dundalk to Belfast. That means that a commuter in Newry who works in Belfast every day will pay thousands of pounds above the odds every year for commuting. The motion calls for action to address the inequality that cross-border fare imbalances create for cross-border commuters. It is critical that we, as legislators, take a clear stand on the issue. Affordable and accessible public transport is not a luxury; it is a necessity. It is a cornerstone of social mobility, economic growth and the fulfilment of our duty to combat the climate crisis. Public transport, particularly rail services, can be a powerful force for change. Effective rail services connect people to jobs, education, healthcare and leisure. They help businesses grow by providing employees and customers with reliable access to services. However, when public transport becomes prohibitively expensive or inaccessible, it risks creating a two-tier society where only those who can afford to travel or have access to transport or transit hubs can access the opportunities that public transport offers. The startling disparity in rail fares between North and South is troubling. Let me be clear: this is not a trivial issue. Commuters travelling from my constituency of Newry and Armagh to work on a daily basis in Belfast, Dublin and places in between face increasingly unaffordable and unfair prices. Not only does that act as a barrier to access; it undermines our efforts to decarbonise transport behaviours. Existing rail fare structures in the North are not compatible with the integrated all-island economy that we strive for. We have to ask ourselves how we can expect people to move freely across our island for work, recreation or study when rail fares in the North make such travel prohibitively and unnecessarily expensive. How can we hope to foster a truly all-island economy when the infrastructure that connects us is so unbalanced and its pricing unfair? Affordable rail travel enables people to access better job opportunities, regardless of where they live. The all-island strategic rail review, commissioned by the SDLP's Nichola Mallon, set out a bold vision for connecting every part of our island. It set a clear ambition of allowing people from rural communities to seamlessly commute to work in cities, facilitating students to pursue exciting opportunities across the island and enabling the isolated, the elderly and individuals living in rural areas to commute for leisure and recreation. That goes to the heart of what makes a society fair and just. The vision of the all-island strategic rail review should be lauded. My frustration is that we are missing opportunities with the basics: the fundamental foundations of building a sustainable public transport model, including fair pricing. We are fully aware of the scale of investment required to ensure that our public transport infrastructure is fit for the future. That has been illustrated clearly by the investment required to establish the new Belfast Grand Central station. Grand Central station is a critical transport hub for the North; there is no refuting that. However, at the same time, it must be said that a £350 million investment for a new rail hub in Belfast must be met with an equivalent investment commitment to ensure that fares paid by computers are not artificially or unnecessarily inflated. We cannot simply invest in grand projects in our major cities while neglecting the fairness and equity of cross-border transport services. That is the political epitome of all fur coat and no knickers. As it stands, the lack of strategic focus on aligning rail fares between the North and the Republic is a missed opportunity. We must ensure that we do not neglect the basic needs of everyday commuters, who rely on affordable transport to get to work or school or to access healthcare. That brings me to the core of the motion. The all-island strategic rail review represents an invaluable opportunity for us to rethink and reimagine how we approach cross-border transport. We must see the review not just as an academic exercise but as a practical step towards integrating and unifying our transport infrastructure across the island. With respect to the DUP amendment, I admit that I was somewhat surprised to see the DUP out ahead of Sinn Féin on an issue relating to cross-border transport. I largely welcome the input that the DUP has provided, and it is a positive sign that there is common ground. I enthusiastically support the re-establishment of the Armagh to Portadown rail line, which of course will extend through Monaghan, Clones and Cavan and into the midlands, as per the recommendations of the all-island strategic rail review, connecting Portadown and Derry.

I am sure that the DUP also recognises that Donegal has been forgotten about when it comes to rail connectivity and would therefore support connectivity for there, although that is beyond our remit right now. Moreover, we must ensure that Belfast International Airport is connected to a rail line. Those are all critical long-term strategic objectives that, if realised, will represent a quantum leap for public transport on the island, but they require the full weight and force of government to be behind them.

The motion calls on the Minister for Infrastructure:

"to work with the Minister of Finance and the Minister for the Economy to bring forward proposals to better align rail fares between"

the North and the Republic. That is a sensible and urgent step to take. By doing so, we would address a fundamental issue of fairness and take an important step towards greater economic integration on the island. The motion goes further, however, by calling for:

"an assessment of the feasibility of creating a unified fare structure for cross-border rail services".

That is a vision that we must pursue. Having a unified fare structure would make travel simpler, cheaper and more accessible. It would remove the barriers to mobility that currently exist and promote greater economic integration and growth between and in both parts of the island. The motion represents an important step towards addressing the shocking, unfair and irrational disparity in rail fares between the North and the Republic. By aligning rail fares and exploring a unified fare structure, we would reduce inequality for cross-border commuters, promote economic growth and do our duty and address the climate crisis. There is a demonstrable inequality at the heart of rail fare pricing structures, and it would be totally unacceptable to me and to the SDLP if the current system that governs fares were allowed to persist. Public transport should be accessible to everyone on the island on an equal basis. The time has come for us to take action and address what is an unfair system. I hope and trust that Members will throw their support behind the motion and demonstrate that we are serious about incentivising public transport use, that we are serious about fair play and that, when a problem becomes apparent, we can move quickly to address it.

1,286 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:42 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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