Railways: Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what funding has been provided to support rail connectivity between Belfast and Dublin through (a) PEACEPLUS, (b) direct UK Government funding and (c) any other source of UK Government funding; and what estimate he has made of the total UK Government contribution to those projects since July 2024.
Answered by Hilary Benn
Rail infrastructure is devolved and is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive. The Government is providing Northern Ireland with £19.3bn per year on average over the Spending Review period. This provides the Executive with the funding needed to invest in its priorities.
However, through the UK’s £730m investment into the PEACEPLUS programme, we are supporting rail connectivity between Belfast and Dublin through the programmes’ €165m investment in the Belfast-Dublin Fleet Enterprise. The new fleet is set to be delivered in 2028 following the formal signing on contracts in June this year.
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