'After Metrolink, clarity needed on Navan Rail line' - Toibin

The need for a clear goal date for the completion of the Navan rail line has been highlighted by Deputy Peadar Toibin who compared the lack of clarity on the Navan link to last week's announcement on the MetroLink.

Last week, the government relaunched the MetroLink project which will go to planning in September with work expected to start in 2025 and be completed by 2030.

Deputy Toibin welcomed the announcement of the projected completion date of the MetroLink

“The MetroLink is a much-needed addition to our national infrastructure and is a demonstration of what can be achieved in terms of public infrastructure when the government is serious about a project. This is in sharp contrast to the lack of clarity surrounding the Navan Rail to Dublin line, despite the project being discussed at a political level for over 20 years.

“While both the MetroLink and the Navan Rail line were projected within the 2031-42 timeline from the GDA strategy review document, the government has been completely vague about a specific timeline for the Navan rail line.

“Meath’s population has grown by 12.9pr cent in the last six years. Meath’s population is increasing by more than 5,000 extra people each year. We are rapidly reaching a population of a quarter of a million people. The majority of workers in Meath leave the county to go to work every day. This happens in no other county. Meath people commute further than commuters in every other county in the country. Navan is the largest town in the country without a rail line. We are being relegated to a commuter county and yet the Government won’t give us the infrastructure to support this commute,” he said.

“Between the four tolls in Meath and the enormous cost of fuel, many tens of thousands of Meath workers are spending hours commuting every day and are paying an arm and a leg to do it. The government needs to be clearer and set a goal date for the competition of the Navan rail line”