Irish government to contribute £197m to cross-border rail services

The Irish government is to contribute €228m (£197m) towards improving rail services between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Some €193m (£166m) will go towards the Londonderry-Belfast-Dublin rail infrastructure investment and a further €35m (£30m) will be spent on continuing hourly trains from Dublin to Belfast, which will see the service continue until at least 2030.

The money will come from the last allocation from the Irish government's Shared Island Fund.

It is part of a scheme which aims to fund cross-border projects that benefit people in both the Republic and Northern Ireland.

The two governments will work together for a 15-20 minute transfer time between the Dublin-Belfast and Belfast-Derry lines to enhance connectivity between and the three cities.

Cabinet ministers on Tuesday in Dublin were told that total allocations under the fund are over €1bn (£862m) and approved plans for a further €377m (£325m) from the Shared Island Fund for 12 new projects to be delivered as part of the Initiative over 2027-2030.

The government will also contribute £3m towards cricket facilities at Stormont estate in Belfast.

The facilities are being redeveloped in the hopes of being one of the locations for co-hosting games in Northern Ireland as part of a joint hosting by Ireland and the UK of the Men's T20 Cricket World Cup in 2030.

Cricket Ireland and Northern Ireland Civil Service Sports Association are also contributing £1m (€1.15m) each towards expansion of the sports grounds.

The T20 World Cup will require multiple international-standard venues across Ireland and the UK.

It is likely to be the largest sporting event ever held on the island in terms of broadcast reach and overseas engagement, with the 2022 T20 World Cup having 3.95bn hours watched across all platforms.

There will also be a €40m(£34m) contribution towards a port development scheme which will enable expansion in capacity at ports across the island.

A further €30m (£26m) will be allocated for the third phase of the Ulster Canal restoration.

Phase 3, from Clonfad to Castle Saunderson, is the major blueway stage of the restoration project, and consists of 10km (6.2 miles) of new and refurbished navigable canal, linking Clones to the Erne System and the Shannon-Erne waterway.

A new 9km (5.5 miles) section Ulster Canal Greenway will be developed as part of the project, running from Clones to Gortnacarrow.

Lough Neagh will also receive a €33m (£28m) contribution from the Shared Island Fund for a new Lough Neagh Catchment Area Water Quality (LNWQ) programme.

The money comes after politicians discussed algae issues at Lough Neagh at North South Ministerial Council meetings.

The programme will implement physical measures along with resourcing, knowledge-exchange and collaboration to support necessary action to improve water quality in the Lough Neagh catchment and address the ecological challenges affecting the area.

A further €13.5m (£12m) from the Shared Island fund will provide for 1,000 additional places for early years educators to upskill and with 40% of these new places dedicated for participants from Northern Ireland.

A training and capacity-building programme with tailored resources to support the needs of all young children as well as those with additional needs will also be put in place in over 10,500 early learning and childcare services, including registered childminders, across the island.

Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Micheál Martin said the government made a "major investment for our shared future on the island of Ireland with €377m (£325m) committed through the Shared Island Fund for 12 new programmes."

"This brings total government allocations from the fund so far to over €1bn (£862m), building a more connected, sustainable and prosperous island for all communities," he said.