TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN travelled at high speed from Tokyo to Osaka on a Japanese bullet train last week, with the journey of around 500km taking just two and a half hours. 

If such a bullet train was in use in Ireland, it means passengers could travel between Letterkenny and Cork city in just over two hours, travelling at a top speed of over 300km/h. 

So what is the likelihood of such bullet trains ever being used in Ireland? 

The Journal asked the Taoiseach in Japan if it is something to consider, but Micheál Martin was lukewarm. ”The cost of them is phenomenal,” said Martin.

He noted that when Eamon Ryan was transport minister in the last government, the Green Party leader was never a “fan” of the bullet trains. 

Kerry TD and Minister of State Michael Healy Rae recently made the case for bullet trains, telling an Oireachtas committee that a bullet train from Dublin to Shannon should be developed as it would be a “game-changer” for the country. 

However in response, Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe said bullet trains are “really only possible in Japan because of population densities they have and the way they do planning”.

Bullet train interior Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Fear not, though: while we might not be getting super-fast bullet trains, Ireland is due to get faster trains.

The All-Island Rail Review last year recommended “significantly” reducing train journey times between some cities with the roll-out of new intercity trains capable of travelling at 200km/h. 

These top speeds of 200km/hour on routes connecting Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford and Derry would make train journeys significantly faster than travelling by car.

While faster train speeds of 200km/h were recommended, the review did not support the introduction of ‘bullet’ trains that can travel at much higher speeds. 

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While the review considered whether developing a new, fully segregated, 300 km/h high speed rail network could be a viable proposition for the island of Ireland, cost was cited as a reason not to go ahead with such a measure. 

“While this scenario could deliver transformational improvements in journey times between the island’s largest population centres, analysis undertaken for this review suggests the benefits of delivering this network would be significantly outweighed by the costs. Given the distance between key population centres, there are diminishing economic returns in targeting speeds above 200km/h,” said the report. 

Current Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien said recently that high-speed rail is part of the all-Ireland rail review. However he poured cold water over any suggestion that Japanese bullet trains will become a reality in Ireland any time soon. 

“The rail review recommended a higher speed, but we will not give anyone the impression that it is Japanese-like bullet trains we are talking about operating across Ireland,” said the minister.