Derry Journal Editorial: Glaring gaps in rail provision across Derry, Tyrone, Donegal and Fermanagh must be addressed

The obvious dearth of rail services and connectivity to our part of this island was laid bare in maps presented by Into the West and others over recent years and it's long past time that changed if we are to create an island of equals.

At one time there were rail services here which integrated the region into the rest of the network across Ireland, spreading out from the Derry termini in various directions.

You could travel from Derry to west Donegal, Inishowen and Derry to Portadown and to Dublin, Strabane to Enniskillen as well as to Belfast.

Those lines were vital for people and for business, for employment and trade and the closure of most of them remains an open wound and has cost us dearly over the past century. It is a wrong that must be put right, and it is very heartening that infrastructure ministers north and south have recognised the need to address that.

And it makes sense in terms of balancing the island's economy, attracting investment and jobs, commuting and the environment. If the governments want less people reliant on private cars - and they do - then they must provide workable alternatives. Greenways, while welcome, are not enough to bring about transformative change.

Even the expansion of modern rail is only part of what is needed here. Realistically in the modern world we also need better connectivity by road and by air.

The A5 to Dublin via Aughnacloy, the true completion of the A6 to Belfast and the A2 Buncrana Road upgrade are vital to that, as is developing more air routes and more frequent public transport services.

We have had our fill of half-hearted measures and the stop-start developments in the north west. We need better and we deserve it.