Local Green Party members push Ryan to prioritise Navan rail line
The Green Party in both Meath East and West have published an open letter requesting a meeting with Minister Eamon Ryan to discuss the extension of the Navan Rail Line, to have it prioritised and implemented within the term of this government.
Meanwhile the NTA has announced it will commence the review of the Navan Rail Line in the second half of this year and expect to complete it around mid-2021.
The extension of the rail line played a key role in garnering local Green votes in the run up to the general election, and members of the party branches, alongside those who have been campaigning for this service for a number of years, were disappointed to find that it was not explicitly mentioned in the Programme for Government.
The local branches point out that of the three counties bordering Dublin, Meath is the most poorly serviced by rail links leading directly into the city centre, leaving residents of Navan, Dunshaughlin, Ashbourne, Ratoath, Trim and Kells reliant on private vehicles to travel into the city. “This contributes to issues such as traffic congestion, air pollution and increased travel times, impacting local peoples’ abilities to maintain a positive work/life balance,” they said in their letter to the Minister.
“The extension of this rail line has the potential to benefit local people in more ways than one, with opportunities for both economic and job stimulation due to increased access to rural areas. “
Adrian Smith, Chair of the Meath East Greens said: “The extension of the railway line to Navan is long overdue and is necessary to reduce traffic congestion, cut exhaust emissions and improve the quality of life for the people of Meath.
“While it was very disappointing that it was not mentioned in the Programme for Government, we are hopeful that with a Green Minister for Transport we will start to see some progress on this vital piece of infrastructure. We intend to keep campaigning strongly in order to ensure that the project gets the attention it deserves and this open letter to the minister is the first step in this process.”