Train passengers won’t be turfed out at border, says Irish minister

THE Irish Transport Minister has said that Enterprise rail passengers will not be “turfed out at the border” when travelling between Dublin and Belfast in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

The news will be welcomed by thousands of Ulster rugby fans from Northern Ireland set to travel to Dublin the day after Brexit for a European Champions Cup quarter-final against Leinster.

Shane Ross (right) told the Oireachtas Transport Committee that informal talks were continuing between his department and the UK Government. “We will have a situation arranged by March 30 whereby passengers are accommodated,” he said.

He also assured committee members passports would not be needed to travel between the Republic and Northern Ireland.

He told the committee that on a daily basis there were over 300 cross-border bus journeys. This figure, he said, does not include one-off community-related bus and coach services including those from Gaelic football or rugby clubs.

“The number of cross-border commercial journeys in 2017 is estimated to be just under two million,” he added. Mr Ross said that one of his department’s objectives is to ensure that bus and Enterprise rail services would have the “absolute minimum amount of disruption”.

“I’m confident that with the talks going on between my department and the British Government that we will establish a seamless transition in a nodeal Brexit situation,” he said.

“There is enough evidence to suggest that the preliminary talks will reach enough agreement between companies involved, so we will have trains running. I don’t think you’re going to have passengers being turfed out at the border.”