HOTEL and luxury travel operator Belmond has announced plans to launch a luxury train which will tour the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland from mid-2016.

AFTER years of decline in the wake of the economic crisis, passenger numbers on Irish Rail (IE) services are finally showing signs of recovery, according to the company's preliminary figures for the first half of this year, which were released on July 7.

IRELAND's transport minister Mr Leo Varadkar has warned that the government will not allocate any additional funds to bail out struggling Irish Rail (IE), despite describing the company's financial situation as "very serious."

REOPENING of Dublin's Phoenix Park tunnel for passenger services and the construction of a cross-city light rail line have been included in the Irish National Transport Authority's Integrated Implementation Plan for greater Dublin, which was launched on April 3.

IRISH Rail (IE) is launching a scheme designed to reduce fuel and maintenance costs by €3.2m a year. This is on top of €16m annual savings already achieved.

IRISH RAIL (IE) made a loss of €20.9m in 2011 and is unlikely to return to profitability until 2016, according to the company's newly-published annual report.