Railway Safety Bill 2026: Second Stage
Dail Éireann — 2026-10-01
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Grace Boland (FG), Dublin Fingal West

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Railway Safety Bill, which seeks to strengthen our railway safety framework, place the railway accident investigation unit on a clear statutory footing and modernise aspects of railway safety legislation, particularly in relation to safety-critical workers and accident investigations. These are sensible, practical and necessary measures and I am very pleased to see them included in the Bill. I particularly welcome the provisions relating to safety-critical workers, including the updated framework governing alcohol and intoxicant testing in railway workplaces. The travelling public must have confidence that those responsible for operating and maintaining our railways are held to the highest safety standards. Equally, rail workers themselves deserve the protection that comes from clear rules, robust procedures and a strong safety culture.
Safety on the railway depends on people as much as infrastructure and it is right that this legislation reflects that reality. Railway safety is one of those areas where we can never stand still. Public confidence in our railway network depends on knowing that the systems, procedures, infrastructure and oversight mechanisms in place are robust, independent and continuously improving.
Recent events have reminded us why that matters. Only weeks ago, the country was shocked by the tragic collision at the level crossing near Ballyhaunis in County Mayo, which resulted in the tragic death of 12-year-old Eoin Doyle. First and foremost, my thoughts remain with his family, friends, classmates and the wider community as they continue to deal with the unimaginable loss. That tragedy serves as a stark reminder that railway safety is ultimately about protecting lives. It is not simply a regulatory framework or a legislative exercise. Behind every accident statistic is a person, a family and a community.
The lesson for all of us is that safety must remain at the centre of every decision we make regarding our rail network. Whether we are talking about level crossings, signalling systems, infrastructure maintenance, operational procedures or workforce safety, there can be no room for complacency. Every train passenger should have confidence that the network they use is safe, and every railway worker should be able to carry out their duties knowing that robust safeguards are in place. Equally, every motorist, cyclist and pedestrian who encounters railway infrastructure should be confident that the crossings, signalling systems and operational procedures meet the highest possible standards. That is why I welcome the strengthening of the independent accident investigation arrangements contained in this Bill.
One of the hallmarks of a mature safety culture is the willingness to investigate incidents thoroughly, learn lessons and implement improvements before problems recur. Independent investigation is critical to maintaining public confidence and ensuring that safety improvements are driven by evidence and experience. However, if we are serious about railway safety, we must also urgently improve our railway infrastructure. Safety is not just about examining what happens after an incident occurs. It is also about preventing incidents from occurring in the first place.
As a TD representing Fingal, I regularly hear from many commuters who rely on the northern commuter line. Many, including myself, have experienced repeated disruption arising from signalling failures and infrastructure issues. For people travelling from Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Lusk, reliability is not simply a matter of convenience. It determines whether people get to work on time, whether students get to school and college, whether parents make collection time and whether families can depend on public transport as part of their daily lives.
Too often, commuters find themselves standing on platforms waiting for services delayed by signalling faults. While any individual incident may seem minor, the frequency with which these problems are occurring points to a broader challenge. Parts of our rail control infrastructure are ageing and increasingly strained by growing passenger demand. I very much welcome that Ireland’s rail network is carrying more passengers than ever before. We are rightly investing in new train carriages and new services, expanding our capacity and planning for growth in rail usage over the coming decades.
We talk regularly in this House about housing growth, population growth, climate action and sustainable transport, but every one of those ambitions depends upon a railway network that is capable of carrying significantly more passengers safely, efficiently and reliably. While this legislation strengthens the regulatory and investigative side of railway safety, we must ensure that Iarnród Éireann is supported by the Minister, the Department and the NTA, as well as being funded to urgently modernise the operational side of railway safety.
In particular, we need to accelerate the delivery of modern train control and signalling systems in the greater Dublin area and across the wider national rail network. Commuters on the northern line have experienced frequent disruption because of signalling and infrastructure failures. The long delays in delivering the national train control centre project have raised serious concerns about the pace at which critical rail modernisation is being delivered. An expanding railway cannot continue to rely on infrastructure that is obsolete and at the end of its life.
We need urgency, accountability and delivery. Modern train control systems are not simply a convenience. They form an essential part of our safety infrastructure, improving oversight, reducing operational risk, increasing network capacity and helping to prevent incidents before they occur. This is especially important in places like Fingal, which is one of the fastest-growing parts of Ireland. Communities like Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Lusk continue to expand and thousands of people rely on rail every day.
Government policy is to encourage greater use of public transport and that means passengers must have confidence that the service is safe, reliable, efficient and resilient, but public confidence in rail is hard-won and easily lost. We have seen in places such as Balbriggan that passenger numbers can decline, even though it is a growing community. When service reliability came under pressure and fares increased in 2025, we saw a 5% decrease in passenger numbers at Balbriggan train station. This makes absolutely no sense. Balbriggan is the youngest town in the country and one of the fastest growing. We really need to consider the decisions we make and how they impact public transport usage. If we are serious about modal shift, we need a railway that people want to use. That means not only safe infrastructure and modern signalling systems but also reliable services, competitive fares and a passenger experience that encourages more people to leave the car at home, not the opposite. Every investment we make in safety and capacity should ultimately be about growing rail usage and strengthening confidence in public transport.
I very much welcome the investment that we will see in the coming months and years, in particular in new train carriages on the northern commuter line and transformational projects such as DART+, which will significantly improve railway services for communities across Fingal and the wider Dublin area. Looking further ahead, the planned four-tracking on the northern line has the potential to be absolutely transformative, unlocking additional capacity, improving reliability and supporting the continued growth of communities such as Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Lusk.
From the perspective of commuters on the northern line, however, delivery is what matters. Passengers need to see improvements on the ground and they need confidence that long-standing signalling issues and capacity constraints are being addressed with urgency. The objective should be clear: a railway network that is among the safest, most reliable and most modern in Europe. This Bill is an important contribution towards that goal. It strengthens oversight and investigations and updates important elements of our railway safety framework.
It also needs to be viewed as part of a broader railway strategy that combines strong regulation with sustained investment, modern infrastructure and expanded capacity. The recent tragedy in Ballyhaunis reminds us why safety can never be taken for granted. At the same time, the experience of commuters on the northern line reminds us of the importance of continuing to invest in and modernise our rail network. I am confident that through projects such as DART+, the provision of new rolling stock and signalling upgrades, once delivered, as well as the delivery of a modern train control centre and future capacity enhancements, we can build a railway that is safer, more reliable and better equipped to meet the needs of our growing population.
For those reasons, I welcome the Bill and look forward to supporting its passage through the House. Go raibh maith agat.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-10-01/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:01:00+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-10-01