An all-Ireland rail review has recommended train services to the island's main airports and increased speeds and frequency.
The final report by the All-Island Strategic Rail Review has set out a 25 year timeframe to complete the project at a cost of €35-37 billion.
The biggest changes will take place in the north of the island.
Recommendations include linking Portadown in County Armagh with Mullingar in County Westmeath with a line through Armagh City, and restoring a line between Derry and Portadown, taking in Strabane, Omagh and Dungannon in County Tyrone. A new rail line will link Letterkenny in County Donegal to Derry, linking Donegal by rail to the rest of the island.
One of the main recommendations is linking the island’s main airports, Dublin, Shannon and Belfast with the rail network, as well as greater intercity connectivity with hourly train services.
Welcoming the recommendations the North’s Transport Minister John O’Dowd said: “This publication brings us to a new chapter where we can shape a better future for everyone by decarbonising key services and investing in climate adaptation measures, while at the same time supporting economic productivity through projects, policy, and legislation.
"Getting infrastructure right and investing in it accordingly can create the foundations for better rural and urban communities.”
His ministerial counterpart in the Republic, Eamon Ryan, said: "This is not just the first All-Island Strategic Rail Review; it is the most ambitious vision for rail in a century, bringing us forward to a new age of rail.
"This vision has been made possible by close cooperation between the departments and agencies north and south."
Ryan added: "Rail not only allows us to carry more people and freight in a more sustainable way, it is the great connector, enabling greater regional accessibility and balanced regional development.
"The report provides a long-term vision and a series of recommendations for the sustainable development of the rail network on the island.
"I would like to see the recommendations actioned as soon as possible, and I am pleased that work is now well underway, with European Investment Bank assistance, on how we can move forward.”
In the coming months, rail services on the island are to be developed towards the report’s vision. This includes an increase to an hourly train service between Dublin and Belfast, and additional services between Dublin and Galway.
Procurement has also started on a new, faster, more sustainable “Enterprise” train fleet for the Dublin-Belfast route.
