The Case for Rail In the North-West City Region Into The West - - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

In the North-West City Region

The Case for Rail

Into The West - July 2019

Background

• A clear disparity exists in rail provision :

a) East & West of the River Bann. b) Between the North-West & the rest of the island

Rail Map of Ireland

DERRY P O R T R U S H LARNE ANTRIM B E L F A S T C I T Y 1 1 S t a t i

• n

s BANGOR P O R T A D O W N BALLYMENA NEWRY L I S B U R N

Location of NI’s 54 Rail Stations

East 51 West 3

Total Number of Rail Stations

C O L E R A I N E

SIX WA YS DERRY’S RAILWA Y SERVICE IS SUB-STANDARD vs EAST OF THE BANN

2 3 4 5 6 1

S I X T O F I X

7 Key Benefits of Rail

ECONOMIC :

Jobs/People gravitate towards good infrastructure.

EMPLOYMENT: Easier to access job & training opportunities.

SOCIAL JUSTICE: No car access = 36% in Derry, 40% in Strabane.

TOURISM :

Make it easier for visitors to access our area.

STATUS :

Certain things are expected in a regional capital. CLIMATE CHANGE: A viable alternative to private vehicle usage.

QUALITY OF LIFE: Cleaner air, less congestion, easier journeys.

History of Rail in N.W.C.R

• Comprehensive rail network existed on both sides of the border

across North-West City Region (NWCR) until the 1960s.

• 2001 Stormont proposed shutting Derry-Belfast line at Coleraine
• Every penny secured for rail infrastructure west of Bann since

then had to be fought for :

• Took public campaign to save Derry’s rail line.
• Took public campaign to secure upgrade of Derry’s track.
• Took public campaign to secure new Waterside station.
• Public campaign is now seeking to secure 3rd & final phase of

track modernisation work.

‘Phase 3 is Key’

• Rail track between Eglinton & Downhill is out-of-date

= Limits train speed & frequency.

• Work to modernise it supposed to happen 2013 = Culture Year.
• Split into 3 phases instead :
• Phase 1 :

2013 = COMPLETED.

• Phase 2 :

2016 = COMPLETED.

• Phase 3 :

2021 = PUT OFF TO 2027 or INDEFINITELY.

• Phase 3 is essential to :

1) End the rail discrimination against the NW. 2) Enable future improvements to rail here.

Lack of Ambition for Rail in NWCR

• No future rail proposals in Council’s key strategies :
• Local Development Plan ?
• Strategic Growth Plan ?
• City Deal Proposals ?
• No protection of former rail routes in Planning Policies.
• No mention of any future projects for North-West in Stormont’s

‘Rail Investment Prioritisation Strategy’ (2014).

• Without a role for rail, how will council achieve key ambitions re :
• Regeneration. - Economic Development
• Climate Change. - Modal Shift (Transportation).

What Enhanced Role Could Rail Have Here ?

1) Express trains to Belfast.

• Limited stops / 90min journey time.

2) Thru-trains to Dublin.

• End objective = 3hr 30mins journey time.

3) New multi-purpose ‘Foyle Parkway’ Station east of Derry.

• Local rail station for Eglinton, Ballykelly, Strathfoyle etc.
• Park & Rail.
• City of Derry Airport.

4) Line Extensions to Strabane & Letterkenny. 5) Western Rail Corridor. 6) ‘The Derry Road’.

Derry

Letterkenny Strabane Foyle Parkway

1 2 3

A North-West Rail Network ?

Ballykelly ?

‘West On Track’

DERRY P O R T R U S H LARNE ANTRIM B E L F A S T C I T Y 1 1 S t a t i

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s BANGOR P O R T A D O W N BALLYMENA NEWRY L I S B U R N

Derry - Portadown Rail Route

C O L E R A I N E S T R A B A N E O M A G H D U N G A N N O N

None of this can happen without… The Phase 3 Works.

1 2 3

Our Ask of DC&SDC

1) Formally Push DFI for Phase 3 Prioritisation (start 2020). 2) Include ambitious role for rail in key Council strategies. 3) Work with colleagues in Donegal CC & Causeway Coast/Glens to lobby for enhanced rail provision in NW. 4) Take strategic view re preferred location of Phase 3 passing loop. 5) Work proactively with relevant councils to progress Western Rail Corridor & reinstallation of ‘The Derry Road’. 6) Push for new Stormont Rail Investment Strategy, with projects in NWCR included. 7) Secure funding for separate feasibility studies into extending rail to Strabane & Letterkenny.

Thank You.