Agenda item

The Committee was reminded that the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, at its meeting on 22nd September, 2017, had agreed to co-fund, along with Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, Louth County Council, Fingal County Council and Dublin City Council a pre-feasibility study on a potential Belfast - Dublin fast rail link.

The Strategic Director of Place and Economy reported that that ARUP consultants had been commissioned to undertake that study and that Ms. D. Emerson and Mr. P. Johnson were in attendance in order to outline its main findings.

Ms. Emerson informed the Committee that rail travel was essential for supporting economic growth, insofar as it delivered reliable and fast journey times which road transport could not match. Those cities and regions across the world which had invested in rail connectivity had derived significant benefits in terms of boosting productivity and achieving global competitiveness and prosperity for their citizens. For example, the high speed rail link between the cities of Cologne and Frankfurt had halved travel times and research had shown that small market towns situated along the route had enjoyed particularly strong economic growth. 

She reported that the transformation of the Belfast-Dublin rail service would address current shortcomings around, for example, journey time, frequency and reliability and would fulfil six key strategic objectives, namely, enhancing inclusive, sustainable economic growth, increasing access to a skilled workforce and job opportunities, enabling towns and cities along the economic corridor to capitalise on their strengths, supporting increased housing and commercial development, supporting international competitiveness and reducing long-term vehicle dependence. Based upon evidence from case studies, those objectives could be met by a rail service which could achieve a sixty minute journey time between Belfast and Dublin, offer at least two trains per hour (one fast and one semi-fast), provide a connection to Dublin Airport and integrate seamlessly with public transport networks along the corridor.

Ms. Emerson pointed out that the project could potentially be funded from a mix of sources, such as central taxation/City Deal, user charges, station area income, vehicle-based charges and property-related income and confirmed that the next stage of the project would focus upon the formulation of a strategic outline business case.

In response to a number of issues which had been raised by Members, she stated that no work had been undertaken around a potential route for the rail link and that, whilst the project had not been included in any of the Northern Ireland Executive’s Programmes for Government, reference had been made to it within the Republic of Ireland’s National Development Plan 2018 – 2027, in the context of examining the feasibility of improving connections between Dublin and Belfast. 

The Chief Executive added that the proposed rail link project would not be undertaken in isolation but would sit alongside other initiatives, such as the Belfast Region City Deal, and would complement the work being undertaken with London and Dublin to internationalise the City.

Ms. Emerson and Mr. Johnson were thanked by the Chairperson.

The Strategic Director of Place and Economy then provided the Committee with an update on the work which was being undertaken currently by the Economic Development Unit around the development of a Belfast – Dublin Economic Corridor. He reminded the Committee that the Ulster University and Dublin City University had been commissioned to conduct additional research around the economic potential of the corridor and confirmed that the following key points had been identified to date:

·        the population along the corridor has been growing faster than on the rest of the island, although the slowest annual population growth had been experienced within the two urban centres of Belfast and Dublin;

·        the working population along the corridor was approximately 800,000, with just over half of jobs based in Belfast and Dublin;

·        around 40% of businesses on the island were based along the corridor;

·        jobs requiring graduates were concentrated along the corridor and were projected to grow.

He reported that the research had identified also a number of key risks to the corridor, namely, connectivity and congestion, housing availability and cost, access to skills, social inclusion, regional balance and Brexit. Key strengths included attractiveness to foreign direct investment, connections to the world through ports and airports, educational attainment and projected population growth. In addition, a number of emerging themes for local government-led collaboration had been identified, around infrastructure and connectivity, enterprise support, innovation, sector specialisms and environmental management.  All of the findings would, he confirmed, be presented in full at a conference being held in the Belfast Waterfront Hall on 28th February.

The Director concluded by recommending that the Committee:

                       i.     note the outcome of the pre-feasibility study information which had been undertaken around the potential Belfast – Dublin rail link; 

                     ii.     grant approval to progress, along with the four other councils, to the Strategic Outline Business stage of the project, with the Council’s contribution of £30,000 to be met from within existing Departmental budgets; and

                    iii.     note the progress in relation to the development of the Belfast – Dublin Economic Corridor, including the proposal to host an Eastern Economic Conference in the Belfast Waterfront Hall on 28th February. 

The Committee adopted the recommendations.