Navan Rail route selection public consultation slips out to mid-2026

News that that the long-awaited public consultation on route options for the Navan Rail line has been delayed until the middle of this year was met with disappointment.

Sinn Fein's Deputy Darren O’Rourke received the update on the floor of the Dáil on Thursday from the Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien, who said that the consultation is now anticipated for "end of Q2". which Deputy O'Rourke described as a "slippage from the timeline previously indicated by Iarnród Éireann, who informed the public in October 2025 that the consultation would take place in early 2026".

"The restoration of the Navan rail line is the single most important piece of transport infrastructure needed for Meath. It is a project that would transform the commuter experience, take thousands of cars off the road, and unlock sustainable development along the corridor.

"Given the critical nature of this project, we need vigorous pursuit of every stage of the process. That is why it is disappointing to see a lack of urgency from the agencies involved. Last October, Irish Rail confirmed that the route options consultation would happen in 'early 2026'. Now, just four months later, that timeline has quietly slipped out to 'the end of Q2'. That is a delay of several months.

"Again, I welcome the fact that the project remains on schedule for construction between 2031 and 2036 and that funding is available to progress the Railway Order. However, cumulative slippages at early stages can put the entire long-term delivery timeline at risk.

"The Minister assures us that the plan is on target, but when the public consultation on the route slips from 'early' to 'mid' year, that eats into the time available for design, business case development, and planning. We cannot afford to let these delays become a pattern. If we want shovels in the ground by the early 2030s, we need to be hitting every milestone between now and then.

"The people of Dunshaughlin, Navan and surrounding areas have been waiting decades for the return of this service. They need to see that the Government and its agencies are treating this project with the urgency it deserves. We need Iarnród Éireann and the NTA to get this consultation launched without further delay."

Responding, Deputy O'Brien said: "It is anticipated that a public consultation on the route options for the Navan rail line will take place in the middle of this year. I will ask that it be done by the end of Q2. We want to avoid it happening during the summer period. We want people to have input into the consultation process, which will ultimately result in a defined route for the Navan train line. It will support the development of a preliminary business case, which will need to be approved by the Government, in line with the requirements of the infrastructure guidelines, before any planning application."

He said Government is committed to the Navan rail line project and anticipates that a planning application - known as a railway order - for the Navan rail project will be lodged with An Coimisiún Pleanála in 2028.

"We have the public consultation on the preferred route and the preparation of the planning. In 2028, the planning application will go in. It is fully funded to do that. To be fair, the Deputy and his colleagues in Meath West have been raising this regularly, and rightly so. Navan and the area around it are growing. We have committed to the rail line. Some might say with a lot of justification that it has been talked about for too long but has not been delivered. We are absolutely committed to doing so. I am hopeful that if we can meet those timelines, we will have planning permission in 2029."

"The Navan rail line will be absolutely transformational in terms of quality of life, the environment and the economy. It will be a major piece of infrastructure to deliver. All I am interested in doing is making sure we hit those timeframes. In the NDP, there are major projects like MetroLink which has gone on for years and will start construction next year. I am keeping a really close eye on the Navan project and I want the public consultation out by the end of quarter 2. It is funded right the way up to planning and we will get it through planning."