Cabinet to Approve €400 Million for 12 Shared Island Projects, Dublin-Belfast Rail Under 2 Hours by 2030
The Irish Cabinet is set to approve €400 million for 12 Shared Island projects, including reducing the Dublin-Belfast train journey to under two hours by 2030. This funding, part of a €1 billion budget, also supports rail electrification and increased services. The initiatives aim to further reconciliation and North-South cooperation, though debates on Irish unity planning persist.
Cabinet approval is expected this week for €400 million in spending on 12 projects under the Government’s Shared Island budget, which exceeds €1 billion. Ministers will meet on Tuesday, ahead of the fifth annual Shared Island forum in Dublin.
A key project is reducing the Dublin-Belfast Enterprise train journey to under two hours by 2030. This involves upgrades to the railway track north of Malahide and at Clongriffin, and will enable the Enterprise to overtake Dart services. The spending also supports plans to electrify 37km of the rail network from Malahide to Drogheda, more than doubling peak-time services between Dublin and Drogheda from 11 to 24 trains.
An additional €35 million will go to Iarnród Éireann and Translink to maintain hourly Dublin-Belfast services, which have seen a 40 percent increase in passenger numbers. Other projects include improving the Derry-Belfast train line, with all government funds for this spent within Northern Ireland. The Taoiseach’s spokesman stated that Shared Island initiatives exemplify the Good Friday Agreement’s practical work towards reconciliation.
This funding round follows Tánaiste Simon Harris’s announcement that Fine Gael will produce a blueprint for Irish unity by November. While Taoiseach Micheál Martin prioritizes practical North-South cooperation over constitutional ambitions, the Ancient Order of Hibernians welcomed Harris’s move, advocating for Irish unity planning. The AOH also criticized the British Northern Ireland secretary’s exclusive power to deny a constitutional referendum, arguing it hinders reconciliation and debate on a united Ireland.