Green light for Derry rail links to Portadown, Letterkenny

The document – authored by the Arup consultancy – has also concluded that the transport authorities should explore the potential for new stations along the Derry to Coleraine line, including at Ballykelly, and a new spur to Limavady.

The long-anticipated report was signed-off on Wednesday by the Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd and his southern counterpart Eamon Ryan.

“The publication of the Final Report of the AISRR, the first of its kind across this island, is historic and I am pleased that we have reached this point," said Minister O’Dowd.

"The Report provides an evidence-based framework to help guide future investment in our rail network, and will help us meet our climate commitments.”

Mr. Ryan concurred: “This is an important day for the island of Ireland. This is not just the first AISRR, it is the most ambitious vision for rail in a century, bringing us forward to a new age of rail.

"This vision has been made possible by close cooperation between the Departments and agencies, north and south.”

The far-ranging plan contains 32 strategic recommendations to enhance and expand the rail system across Ireland up until 2050

Extending the railway from Derry to Portadown via Strabane, Omagh and Dungannon is one of its flagship proposals and one that Arup say should be prioritised above others.

It is estimated this ‘long-term intervention’ – a resurrection of the old ‘Derry Road’ railway operated by the Great Northern Railway until the 1960s – could cost between £1.8 and £2.8billion (€2.2bn-€3.4bn) based on 2021 prices.

Work could start by the end of the next decade and the new railway could be completed before 2050.

The report confirms speeds of 200 kilometres per hour (125 miles per hour) will be possible on the new dual-tracked electrified line between Derry and Portadown.

The proposed speed in the draft report had been set at 160 kilometres per hour.

But Mr. O’Dowd, speaking in the Assembly in February, insisted that it would be able to host 200 kilometres per hour trains if and when it was eventually developed. This has been included in the final report.

"The development of a new railway between Portadown and Derry~Londonderry could free up additional capacity on the existing Coleraine route and enable separate suburban and inter-city services on these two corridors.

"Improvements to suburban services could include building a spur to and station at Limavady and building new stations at places such as Ballykelly,” the report suggests.

The estimated capital costs of developing new stations on the Derry to Coleraine line have been put by the authors at between £100m-£200m.

A new single track rail connection from Letterkenny to Derry, meanwhile, would ‘connect the major urban centres of the North West to each other and greatly improve access to Belfast and Dublin’. It’s estimated this could cost between £200m and £300m.

These flagship interventions for the North West will involve an investment of between £2.1bn and £3.3bn. Work could start in the next decade (2030-40) and be finished between 2040 and 2050.

The AISRR report indicates the proposals are likely to be ‘implemented incrementally, in accordance with policy priorities, demand growth and funding availability’; however, the Derry to Portadown railway will be prioritised.

"The roadmap prioritises the Portadown – Derry~Londonderry route over other new railways as it delivers key intercity and regional objectives for this Review, and it serves a relatively large population,” it states.

Separate to the specific North Western recommendations, the document also proposes the development of a new rail link from Portadown, via Armagh, Clones and Cavan to Mullingar and on to Athlone, which would open up the entire Irish rail system to local passengers.

In a section outlining the socioeconomic and political context of the review, the authors point to the likely economic benefits of an improved rail network for places like Derry and Donegal.

“Many regions of the island, including Derry~Londonderry and Waterford, have not benefitted from the same growth as the largest cities and have less access to key services and international gateways.

"Improved rail connections to the strongest performing urban areas, together with better regional connections and regeneration based around railway hubs, would improve access to economic opportunities in these places,” the report acknowledges.

A chapter on the North alludes to the decimation of the railways to the West in the 1960s when the English accountant Henry Benson, viewing the railways with the ‘dead-eye of an undertaker’, in West Tyrone Nationalist MP Roderick O’Connor’s memorable phrase, recommended the closure of the GNR.

"The west of Northern Ireland was one of the areas worst affected by rail closures in the mid-twentieth century, and large settlements such as Armagh, Cookstown, Dungannon, Enniskillen, Omagh, and Strabane have had no rail services for decades,” the report notes.

New rail halts in the Sperrins have been ruled out due to the challenges of developing rail over mountainous terrain.

“Physical constraints ruled out some options, such as the Sperrin Mountains ruling out Cookstown as a stop on a service from Derry~Londonderry to either Belfast or Dublin,” the report states.

Equally, a line connecting Derry and Sligo was not considered feasible for practical reasons.

“A line between Sligo and Derry-Londonderry would require complex crossings of the River Garavogue and River Erne and then a route through the Barnesmore Gap.

"The relatively low level of anticipated demand suggests that rail is not the appropriate solution to improve connectivity along many of the routes assessed,” the AISRR observes.

Low anticipated demand also led the authors to rule out a rail connection to Enniskillen.

Mr. O’Dowd said: “This publication brings us to a new chapter where we can shape a better future for everyone by decarbonising key services and investing in climate adaptation measures, while at the same time supporting economic productivity through projects, policy and legislation.

"Getting infrastructure right, and investing in it accordingly, can create the foundations for better rural and urban communities.”

Mr. Ryan said: “The Report provides a long-term vision and a series of recommendations for the sustainable development of the rail network on the island.

"I would like to see the recommendations actioned as soon as possible, and I am pleased that work is now well underway, with European Investment Bank assistance, on how we can move forward.”

Welcoming the report, Foyle MLA Mr Durkan said: “The SDLP brought forward the AISRR while in government at Stormont and worked with our colleagues in the Irish Government, envisaging a plan that would change the face of rail travel right across our island.

"The recommendations published today would go a long way to improving connectivity for cities and towns right across Ireland, but there is still some work to do.”

He expressed disappointment, however, that the report ruled out rail services in Fermanagh due to insufficient anticipated travel demand.

“Despite the clear ambition in these proposals, the North West on both sides of the border and places like Enniskillen will be disappointed that these proposals will mean a continued lack of rail provision in their area.

"The SDLP has repeatedly highlighted the need to ensure that no part of our island is left behind, both when bringing the rail review together and in our Assembly Opposition motion calling for a costed implementation plan,” said Mr. Durkan.