Sinn Féin TD for Wicklow and Chair of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), John Brady, has urged Minister for Transport Daragh O'Brien to immediately clarify the future of Irish Rail's planned Traffic Management System (TMS) after €31.5 million has already been spent, and to address concerns about knock-on effects for the wider rail network.

His call follows Irish Rail's 2025 accounts stating that, based on progress to date, the company does not have confidence that the TMS in its current form can be deployed on the rail network and has written down the project’s value in its books.

Teachta Brady said: "This is quite simply unbelievable.

"The Minister presented this as a flagship project that would act as the ‘brain’ of the railway network, while the NTA described it as the 'critical component' in the broader National Train Control Centre project.

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"The 'brain' of the railway network, yet we now have Irish Rail stating in their 2025 accounts that they do not have confidence that it can be delivered.

"This raises massive questions about the governance, ministerial oversight and financial control in place on the project, as well as, the potential impact on the broader development and expansion of the rail network.

"Under the initial proposals following tendering, the Traffic Management System (TMS) was targeted to be commissioned in 2024, with an associated target cost of €19.5 million.

"At the last update, over €31.5 million had already been spent on this IT system, with not even the first phase completed.

"What's also remarkable is that this project was being allowed to slowly drift, with more and more public money being spent every single day until I, as Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, raised my concerns last month.

"Prompted by PAC scrutiny, the NTA announced that they had commissioned an independent review into the project.

"This is the second such review, with one previously presented in June 2025.

"We need the details of the latest review, if it has been completed, and what it has found.

"We also need to immediately hear from the Minister to provide an update on the future of this project, to account for the public money spent so far, and to allay fears of the broader impact on the rail network.

"The Minister cannot dodge his responsibility on this one. We need to hear from him urgently.

"As Chair of the PAC, I will be seeking a full and comprehensive explanation as to how this shambles has developed."