£31billion plan to restore rail connectivity across Ireland, including north-west of NI

Proposals to increase the scale of the all-Ireland rail network could see the construction of a track connecting Londonderry, Omagh and Portadown, restoring rail connectivity to much of the western half of Northern Ireland.

A new line is also proposed between Belfast and Newry, but an idea to connect Belfast Harbour to the main rail system is a non-starter because of the prohibitive cost of building a track over the widest part of the M2 motorway.

The proposals form part of the first-ever all-Ireland review of rail.

The review seeks to improve the transport links between Ireland’s seven major cities - north and south - and if its draft recommendations were implemented in full the number of people living within 5km of a railway station would increase by 25%.

In short, the plan envisages more passengers using more frequent services offering more routes.

The proposed line between Derry and Portadown would be a new dual-track railway, with 125 mph high speed trains.

The rail review report says: “This would link the large towns of Strabane, Omagh and Dungannon to the rail network, and greatly improve intercity connectivity between Derry/Londonderry and both Dublin and Belfast (as an alternative to the indirect and constrained existing route).”

The 25-year plan has yet to be ratified by the Irish Government and the Stormont Executive, but it would cost £31 billion (36 billion Euro).

75% of the cost would be met by the Republic of Ireland (£24 billion), with Northern Ireland contributing the remaining 25% (£7.7 billion).

The ambitious strategy includes the proposed decarbonisation of rail travel in the Republic and parts of Northern Ireland through the electrification of the network and the use of battery-powered engines.

It also hopes to deliver all-Ireland benefits to public safety and the environment: increasing freight haulage and passenger numbers on trains would reduce traffic accidents on our roads, as well as cutting air pollution and noise.

However, the review does not deliver a rail boost to every part of Northern Ireland. Cookstown would miss out because of difficulties creating a rail network through the Sperrins, whilst Enniskillen simply doesn’t have sufficient passenger numbers to justify a train service.

One government official said, “Rail is not always the solution. It’s best suited to transport corridors with high population numbers. Sometimes the bus is the answer.”

The proposals envisage a huge investment in rail infrastructure, but it will be governments north and south that decide which parts of the plan take precedence and are implemented first.

In the absence of a Stormont Executive, that leaves a question mark - for now at least - over who would decide on the Northern Ireland rail expansion.

It was also disclosed that the rail planners looked at the possibility of connecting Belfast Port to the rail network, but decided that the route would have to cross over or under the widest part of the M2 motorway and that made the cost prohibitive.

The proposals are being out before the Irish Cabinet today, and a public consultation will remain open until 29 September.

A final report will be put before the Irish Government by the end of the year.

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