Derry line going well so no Phase 3 plans: DfI

The Department for Infrastructure has said it has no plans to take forward Phase 3 of the Derry to Coleraine rail upgrade in the face of calls by the Into the West lobby for money to be released now.
By Kevin Mullan
Published 18th Jun 2019, 21:30 BST
Updated 18th Jun 2019, 22:30 BST
The Eglinton to Castlerock stretch of the line, which will be renewed under Phase 3.The Eglinton to Castlerock stretch of the line, which will be renewed under Phase 3.
The Eglinton to Castlerock stretch of the line, which will be renewed under Phase 3.

A DfI spokesman said: “The Department has invested nearly £74m on significant upgrades on the rail network and associated infrastructure to the NW in recent years. This includes an investment of £46.3m in the Derry-Coleraine Phase 2 track renewal which introduced a new, modern signalling system and the construction of a passing loop at Bellarena which paved the way for the introduction of hourly services between Coleraine and Derry. In addition, DfI is investing £27.5m in the NW Multi Modal Hub which is due to open in Autumn 2019.

“As the track condition is performing well there are no plans to take forward Phase 3 of the Derry-Coleraine line.However, Translink is continuing to monitor this section of the line. It should be noted that this does not impact on any future decisions for faster trains or a direct train to Dublin.”

Related topics:DerryColeraineTranslinkThe Department