Dublin Port’s plans – rail and road –

Sir, – The Dublin Port Company 3FM expansion project has created headlines in The Irish Times following Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan writing to the Dublin Port chairman criticising key areas of the plan (News, April 22nd).

Dublin Port is quoted as stating that the project is “fully aligned” with national and EU policy.

However, as EU policy is to reduce reliance on road freight, Mr Ryan is right to question that statement when he sees the 3FM project being heavily reliant on road freight.

It is encouraging to see Tanaiste Leo Varadkar also agreed, saying “Mr Ryan makes a very valid point about rail-based port developments”.

If, as quoted, some 70 per cent of the incoming freight in Dublin Port remains within a 90km radius of the city, that leaves 30 per cent, or 105,000 containers (using the ports figures) that move beyond that distance.

At the recent CILT Mobility & Supply Chain Conference it was suggested that the Dublin-Tipperary-Cork corridor alone could support 50 rail container services per week by 2040.

Eugene Drennan, president of the Irish Road Haulage Association, says “rail freight does not work over short distances, and Ireland east to west is a short distance”, yet for many years zinc ore has been brought two or three times daily to the port by rail from Tara Mines at Navan, just 80km journey by rail – and transported terminal to terminal without any “last mile” road transfer.

The recently published Rail Freight 2040 strategy will see Iarnrod Eireann re-equip with modern freight wagons for container traffic and introduce new strategically located rail freight terminals around the country, these based on the highly successful model at Ballina, Co Mayo, which handles around 18 loaded freight trains per week.

In March, the rail freight manager announced the first development under the 2040 strategy will be a new terminal at Castlebar to service demand from local industries with commodities that will be conveyed to the ports for export.

Taking these points into account and the vital need for Ireland to address carbon emission targets, which will be assisted by switching to greener transport modes, it is essential that Dublin Port looks to lessen reliance on road freight where possible with its 3FM Project. – Yours, etc,

TIM CASTERTON,

Leighton Buzzard,

Bedfordshire, UK.