Arup delivers a strategic review to transform the railway network on the island of Ireland

Aiming to inform policy and provide a clear vision for the evolution of the island’s railways, the Review focused on the pivotal role of rail in driving the decarbonisation of transport. Arup’s engineering and advisory experts in rail, transport planners, environmental and planning consultants, data scientists and economists delivered a comprehensive, evidence-led review of the network. We examined how to promote sustainable connectivity into and between major cities, improve access to regional areas and support balanced regional development. 

It is the first all-island assessment of the rail network and sets out 32 strategic recommendations to enhance and expand railway connectivity across the island of Ireland up to 2050. The recommendations were informed by feedback gathered through two public consultations. The first consultation from November 2021 to January 2022 involved gathering views from the public on the role of rail and priorities for investment. The second consultation took place from July to September 2023 when a draft of the Review was published as part of the public consultation on the Review’s Strategic Environmental Assessment. A summary of the comments received is included in the Review.

Key recommendations include upgrading the railway to provide additional capacity, decarbonising the entire network, reducing journey times between major cities and boosting service frequencies – especially in rural areas. If implemented, the recommendations would enable the number of people travelling by rail annually to almost triple from approximately 65 million to over 180 million by 2050. The rail network route length would increase from circa 2,300km to almost 3,000km with the reopening of former and new rail lines. New routes in the north midlands and north west would mean that 700,000 more people would live within 5km of a railway station.