A new rail strategy for the island of Ireland aims to cut journey times on two local rail lines.
The Rail Project Prioritisation Strategy will be developed over the next five years.
The publication from the Department of Transport builds on recommendations from the All-Island Strategic Rail Review, aiming to cut travel times down by around half an hour from major routes around the country.
On the Sligo line, among the projects include a passing loop between Sligo and Boyle, enabling trains to pass and improve timetable flexibility.
The strategy also targets an hourly all-day service between Dublin and Sligo, a significant improvement on current patterns.
Another major focus of the strategy is the Athlone-Mayo corridor which includes stops in Athlone, Roscommon and Castlerea.
It is intended to support an increased service frequency of at least one train every two hours between Dublin and Mayo.
