Sinn Féin TDs for County Meath, Darren O’Rourke and Johnny Guirke said a Sinn Féin Government would commence the Navan Rail project today, not at some yet-to-be-determined date after 2031 as Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Greens currently plan.
The two Deputies made the statement following Sinn Féin’s Alternative Budget launch yesterday which committed funding to kickstart the project.

“Sinn Féin have included funding in our Alternative Budget that would kickstart the Navan Rail Line project.“In 2023 we would allocate €18m for the initial pre-construction phase of the project, in line with the funding recommendation contained in the Navan Rail Line Assessment Report, commissioned by the National Transport Authority.“The need for the rail link to Navan is not in question, it has been talked about for far too long and the government must allocate funding in their budget next week for this important project.

“Under the current government approach, construction would not start until after 2031. That is totally unacceptable. We need the government to fully commit to the Navan rail line and deliver it in a much quicker time frame.
“We know that there are important route selection and planning considerations. All the more reason to start immediately.

Johnny Guirke added, “Including funding in our Alternative Budget highlights a commitment from Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald TD and our Finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty TD to this important project for Meath.“We have long said that in government we would deliver this project, and this is further evidence of that commitment.“Re-establishing the rail connection to Navan can benefit commuters, businesses, tourism and the environment, ending the commuting nightmare for many and take thousands of cars off our road each day. It has been estimated it has the potential to facilitate up to 1.8 million passenger journeys per year.

“The only thing holding this project up now is a lack of political will from Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party.” ENDS