Dáil told Tyrone rail line should be a ‘priority’

A PROPOSED new rail line that would go through Tyrone connecting with lines in Portadown, Letterkenny, and Derry has been described as a “critical investment priority” by the Irish Transport Minister, Eamon Ryan.

However, he again said that the all-island strategic rail review cannot be published until a Northern transport minister is in place.

Speaking in the Dáil, the Green Party TD said there was a need for regional development in the North West and more transport ‘connectivity’.

He said, “Sligo has a rail service but Donegal does not and it has suffered as a result for decades. There is another investment proposal that should get priority, namely, a rail line running from Portadown west through Dungannon, Omagh, Strabane, Letterkenny and Derry.

“That would have huge benefits for all the towns along that route and for connecting Letterkenny to Derry, which is a critical investment priority.”

Minister Ryan concluded, “The key investment decision, particularly in Donegal and the north-west, is that spur from Portadown via Dungannon, Omagh, Strabane, Letterkenny and Derry. My view is that it should be the priority because those towns would benefit. For example, a connection from Letterkenny to Derry would transform the town’s relationship to the city.”

But the minister acknowledged that the redevelopment of a line along the old ‘Derry Road’ would be ‘very expensive’ and was unsure of a funding source for the project.

He also indicated that the Irish government would invest in any Northern Infrastructure surrounding rail travel in the North West.