Into the West release video to highlight St. Valentine's Day railway shutdown

The rail lobby pointed out how the closure stripped counties Tyrone and Donegal of their last bit of rail, erased the north-west’s direct rail link with Dublin, and left Derry city with just a single railway line and station

Into The West are campaigning to have the route reopened as part of their North West Rail Corridor proposal – which is a restored spine of rail from Letterkenny through Derry, Strabane, Omagh and Dungannon to Portadown.

Chair of Into The West, Steve Bradley, said: “February 14 is usually about love, but on Valentine’s Day 1965 the North-west of Ireland was subjected to a brutal break-up.

"A key railway route through the entire area was shut down unnecessarily - stripping rail from counties Tyrone and Donegal, and leaving Derry City isolated on the rail network.

"Our latest video reminds people of that St. Valentine’s Day Shutdown, and that such a poor decision for this region can and should be reversed today.

"We would encourage readers to help spread that message by sharing the video, and ask anyone who wants to see the North West Rail Corridor restored to sign the petition on our website. Let’s make 2023 the year that the decision is made to put Tyrone and Donegal back on the rail map, and to re-connect Derry directly to Dublin again by rail.”

The videos can be watched at www.IntoTheWest.org and its new YouTube channel (@IntoTheWestRail). Their petition can be read and signed here at www.change.org/NorthWestRailCorridor

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