Rail minister O’Dowd reiterates view that Derry-Portadown train link will be 200kmph

Mr. O’Dowd was quizzed on the speed of the Portadown to Derry line by Sinn Féin MLA Pádraig Delargy.

He said: “In a previous debate, I said that it was around 200 kilometres per hour. It is a high-speed rail link between Portadown and Derry.

"It is part of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review. It is an ambitious plan that gives connectivity, tackles climate change and promotes public transport.

"Those projects are medium- to long-term projects, but they are important. It is crucial that they include tackling regional imbalance and correcting the mistakes of the past.”

Last week the minister provided the figure during a debate on the rail network despite the review stipulating a revived £1.8-£2.8billion ‘Derry Road’ link – as the old Great Northern Railway was known – would be 160kmph.