Rail minister O’Dowd reiterates view that Derry-Portadown train link will be 200kmph
Rail minister John O’Dowd has again stated a revived Derry to Portadown train link proposed under the All-Island Strategic Rail Review will be 200 kilometres per hour if it does go ahead.
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.