Debate contribution: All-island Rail Fares

Debate contribution by Mr John O'Dowd on 3 December 2024.

MLA

Mr John O'Dowd

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

3 December 2024

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

All-island Rail Fares

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4691359

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

I thank the Members who tabled the motion. It is a very important topic, and it has been a useful debate. By way of background information, the current Enterprise service was introduced in 1997, and, for most of this time, the fares offered by NI Railways have generally been lower than those offered by Irish Rail. Various considerations need to be taken into account when setting fares for the Enterprise cross-border service, not least the local fares offered by both rail companies and the received levels of government funding. Translink and Irish Rail are subsidised in different ways. As Members have noted, in April 2022, the Irish Government reduced fares on all public transport, including Irish Rail, by 20%. It is worth highlighting the impact that this 20% reduction has had on standard fares compared with those of NI Railways. A single ticket from Belfast to Dublin would be the same price when issued by Translink, £33, but, with the discount, this falls to £26·43 for Irish Rail customers. A single ticket from Newry to Dublin would have been cheaper with Translink at £21·50 compared with £23·91 with Irish Rail, but the 20% discount reduces that to £19·13. As Members will know, the Department has been operating in a very difficult financial environment for a number of years and will continue to engage and support public transport where and when it can. However, Translink, in conjunction with Irish Rail, has amended the rail fares on offer and now provides a more flexible online fare. This enables customers to benefit from online prices up to 90 minutes before the train departs, compared with the 72-hour cut-off currently in place. Online discounts still show a difference in price, with a return journey from Belfast to Dublin available for as low as £29·98 from Translink while the same ticket is available for approximately £23·30 from Irish Rail. Translink has made efforts to ensure that all rail lines offer a reasonably equitable fare structure. However, if Translink were to emulate the reductions provided in the South, it would have a major impact on the sustainability of delivering public transport services elsewhere. Since 2010, Translink fares have increased by some 27%, which is significantly less than inflation over the same period, which is 44%. In November 2022, the then Secretary of State set out what steps would need to be taken to improve Translink's sustainability through uprating Translink fares. This reversed my decision to freeze fares before the Assembly fell, when I recognised the need to maintain lower public transport fares moving forward. Following that statement from the British Government, Translink increased fares in March 2023 by an average of approximately 7% across its services. Those were the first fare increases in five years. Translink subsequently standardised rail fares in November 2023 to resolve some anomalies and to simplify the fare structure. In January 2024, again in the absence of local Ministers, my Department's permanent secretary continued with the Secretary of State's request to again increase transport fares, with an average rise of 8%. It is worth pointing out that older people and people with disabilities can currently avail themselves of significantly discounted and free concessionary travel on Translink services, which are funded by my Department in the region of £47 million annually. The motion refers to the role that affordable transport plays in promoting social mobility, but it is not only about social mobility. Making public transport affordable is also about tackling social exclusion and ensuring that the most vulnerable people in our society can be part of it. That is why the Department provides a concessionary fare scheme and why, despite the very challenging financial environment, I made the decision to protect the scheme and to keep the age of eligibility for the scheme at 60, enabling older people to live active, healthier and independent lives and boosting the local economy. As a number of Members have pointed out, it is important to recognise that, in the South, to qualify for an older person's pass, a person must be aged 66 or over. When we talk about alignment between North and South, it is important to recognise that, in some respects, our passengers are better off than their peers south of the border. That is not just in relation to concessionary fares. I have seen significant improvements in public transport here in recent years, which I believe reflect our ambitions for public transport. Many Members have mentioned the recently opened Grand Central station, and we have also refurbished York Street station. I fully recognise the need to address regional imbalance and better connect our communities, including those in the north-west. This year, I have, therefore, ring-fenced £4·7 million of funding in my budget to ensure that the Coleraine to Derry phase 3 project proceeds as quickly as possible.

I will.

I did not catch all of the Member's point. Is he asking whether they can use their concessionary pass when using cross-border services?

Yes, they can. The budget allocation for the Coleraine to Derry phase 3 project is additional to the £5·3 million that has already been spent on the project. That funding will allow Translink to progress the project as planned and seeks to ensure investment in public transport across the entire region. In this financial year alone, Translink has been allocated a budget of almost £320 million, which is about 25% of the total non-ring-fenced budget that is available to the entire Department. I will turn now to other projects. The estimated cost for the north Belfast to south Belfast Glider route is in the range of £142 million to £148 million. Although £35 million of the funding has been secured through the Belfast region city deal, a considerable shortfall of £110 million remains. Work on the feasibility of extending the route to Glengormley and Carryduff has been finalised, and I commissioned work on the delivery options that could be implemented, utilising the £35 million funding envelope from the Belfast region city deal. The outline business case is being finalised in line with the feasibility reports and delivery options. Subject to approval of the outline business case, it is proposed that the detailed design process be initiated to implement the proposals. I welcome the £35 million contribution from the Belfast region city deal and recognise that significant investment will bring enhancements to the city centre and the wider public transport network and assist in tackling the current and ongoing traffic congestion in Belfast city centre. It is another public transport option for people to use.

I hope to be able to confirm that before the Christmas break, although I may not be able to do so until early in the new year. The projects that I have mentioned are examples of the significant investment that my Department is making to help achieve a modal shift from car to bus or rail services. An effective public transport network is vital for the economic, social and environmental well-being of society. Earlier this year, in July, in partnership with Minister Ryan, I published the all-island strategic rail review. It was the first strategic rail review of its kind on the island of Ireland. The final review report includes 32 recommendations, which, if delivered in full, will transform rail services across the island through such improvements as new and reopened rail routes, higher-speed trains, increased frequency and additional capacity, thereby connecting many more communities to the rail network. For the North, it will see a decarbonised rail network; new rail lines from Portadown to Armagh, Lisburn to Antrim, Belfast to Newry and Portadown to Derry; new cross-border routes from Portadown to Mullingar and Derry to Letterkenny; new and improved rail connections to our airports; increased frequency; and faster journey times. I understand that many people who live in Fermanagh will be disappointed that a new rail line from Enniskillen was not included in that list of interventions. The constituency's representatives quite rightly made that point today. As Members will know, following the public consultation on the review report last year, I asked the report's authors to further consider the viability of rail services to Fermanagh. That review included consideration of future population growth; potential demand and journey times; tourism; and various potential corridors through Enniskillen, including to Omagh, Belfast, Dublin, Derry, Sligo, Monaghan and Cavan. A new rail line did not appear to stimulate sufficient demand to support rail services in the time frame of the review, however. As has been mentioned, the cost of building a 40-kilometre single-track line between Enniskillen and Omagh has been estimated at £335 million. I accept Diana Armstrong's point that when rural communities look at Belfast and see £344 million being spent, they rightly ask, "What's the difference?". In this case, the business case for Grand Central station proved to be value for money, but the current estimated business case for the Enniskillen connection does not represent value for public funds. However, in a recent meeting with a delegation from Omagh and Fermanagh District Council, I made a commitment to them that, as part of the Fermanagh transport plans, if new information comes to light, I will review that decision ahead of the 10-year time frame that has been built into the review. It is not a closed chapter; it is definitely open and will be returned to again if and when new evidence comes to light. I have committed to working with the council on that.

I note the Member's comments. The Member will also understand that, as a guardian of public finances, I have to be able to prove value for money when spending public funds. I am looking to establish the proof that there is value for public funds in extending the rail line to Fermanagh. I can assure the Member that she is pushing at an open door with me on the matter. On improvements to the Enterprise service, work to implement the rail review has started to progress already on rail services on the island and the development towards the review's vision. That includes an increase to the hourly train service between Dublin and Belfast, which commenced in October. Procurement has also started on a new, faster and more sustainable Enterprise train fleet for the Dublin to Belfast route, with funding of €25 million — £20 million — provided by the Government of Ireland, through the Shared Island Fund and the Irish Department of Transport. The hourly service represents the most significant expansion of services on the route in over a quarter of a century. That is another boost for public transport and the economy, and it will improve not only linkages between the two cities but connections along the entire North/South rail corridor. An expanded and improved rail network offers opportunities to drive jobs and growth, stimulate developments in regeneration and boost access to services and education. It will also help decarbonise transport and encourage a behavioural shift to public transport. The flagship Enterprise service is a very visible and well-known symbol of North/South cooperation, and the replacement programme is a key priority for both Governments. I certainly hope it is a priority for the next Government as well — I do not doubt that it will be. The programme will significantly improve accessibility between the two largest cities on the island, with faster journey times and an increased number of services. The funding of the programme, under the PEACE PLUS programme and from both Governments, demonstrates the positive impact that cooperation has in meeting our shared goals for a cleaner, greener, interconnected, all-island future. I assure Members that, as we move forward, I will continue to progress the all-island rail review. A number of feasibility studies are ongoing, as has been mentioned, that are funded by the Union connectivity development fund. They include the reopening of the Antrim to Lisburn line, with a link to Belfast International Airport; the Armagh to Portadown line; the electrification of the Belfast line to the border; and the Portadown to Derry line. The main thrust of today's motion is about the regularisation of train fares between both jurisdictions. I assure Members that I will continue to explore all avenues to ensure that Translink is properly subsidised by the Executive, allowing it to keep train fares as low as possible, including cross-border rail fares. With regard to further discussions with the incoming Minister for Transport in the South, I will continue to engage on how both jurisdictions support aligned rail fares moving forward. Members will appreciate that the Dublin Government have quite a surplus to hand and can spend funds on matters that the Executive cannot at this stage, but I always think that you have to look for solutions rather than at the problems. Thank you.

2,137 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:43 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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