Varadkar rail review fuels concern for Navan line

A review of spending on new road and rail projects, which was announced by Transport Minister Leo Varadkar this week, has fuelled speculation that the rail link to Navan could be in jeopardy. The minister said this week that he would review each new rail and road project against the need to ensure existing rail and road routes are properly maintained. His comments led to an angry reaction by Cllr Tommy Reilly who called on the four Fine Gael TDs in Meath to make a clear statement on the matter straight away. "I am bitterly disappointed at the announcement. This project was at an advanced stage," he said. "How many u-turns are we to see in this government's first 100 days in office?" Cllr Joe Reilly said that when reviewing the project, the minister shouldn't be looking at today, but 30 or 40 years into the future. "The railway line is crucial to the future of Navan, and failure to complete it will be detrimental to the future of Navan over the next 20 to 30 years," he claimed. Cllr Reilly called on the Fine Gael and Labour TDs in ther county to lobby the minister to ensure that Meath has a 21st century transport system to meet the needs of its population. Deputy Damien English said that Minister Varadkar was carrying out a review of the planned capital expenditure programme as he wanted to ensure we could maintain the infrastructure we have. "I will be pushing hard for the Navan rail line to be part of the priority programme. Navan is the only growth area of Dublin without a rail link and the new railway line would be great for emploument in Meath and for reducing congestion in Dublin," he said. Deputy Regina Doherty said there wasn't a councillor or TD in Meath that wasn't commmitted to ensuring the railway is brought to Navan. "The commitment to bring it to Navan hasn't changed," she said. Deputy Doherty said the country had been "goosed" at the hands of the people running it for the past 15 years. "We have agreed to progress the railway line to the point where work can begin so that when there is money, we will be first in the queue," the Meath East TD said. Iarnrod Eireann spokesman Barry Kenny said that it would be making an application for a railway order for Navan within the next month.