The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, said yesterday that the decision to spend €90 million on a major expansion of Cork's commuter rail service was supported by CIÉ.
Asked if the plan, which involves the reopening of the Midleton-Cork rail line, was supported by the CIÉ chairman, Dr John Lynch, Mr Brennan said: "He's alive and well and is as excited about this day as I am.
"Times have changed, and the country has been doing very well, and because of that we have the fund to make an investment. It's because the country has been doing so well over the years that we can afford these projects."
Dr Lynch is reported to have expressed reservations in the past about any move to reopen the line.
When contacted by The Irish Times yesterday, he said: "There were discussions on this between Irish Rail and the Department, and this is what has emerged."
He declined to elaborate further or comment on reports that he had previously opposed extending the rail service to Midleton.
The €90 million project is the first major extension to the national rail network in more than 100 years.
The plan will lead to the reopening of the closed line to Midleton in east Cork, the building of new stations, provision of park-and-ride facilities and significantly expanded services in the Cork region.
"This decision heralds a new era of growth and the revitalisation of the railways. The foundation for a world-class railway system has been laid, and on that we are now building improved, expanded and more customer-friendly services.
"A century ago we had some 3,000 miles of railway track in this country and today that is down to just over 1,000 miles.
"I can assure you that the decades of closures and the downgrading of lines and services can now be consigned to the past," he said.
It was a day of openings and launches for the Transport Minister, who announced €4.1 million for the dilapidated Bus Éireann station in Cork city centre and the provision of €4 million for the construction of the first "bus priority public transport corridors".
The Minister also attended the official opening of the unfinished park-and-ride facility at Black Ash on the south side of Cork city.
The car-park has 900 spaces and will run a shuttle to carry more than 700 passengers an hour at peak times from the facility to the city and back.