Call in European Parliament to support North-West rail link
18 January 2007
During a debate in Strasbourg DUP Euro MP Jim Allister raised the state and future of the rail link between Belfast and Londonderry. Calling for it to be included in the EU's Trans National Network, as a means of opening up fresh funding opportunities, Mr Allister said current expenditure plans at best would prevent further deterioration in the infrastructure, but do nothing to provide the radical improvement necessary to allow the use of fast trains, which was the key to increased usage.
In the course of his remarks Mr Allister said:
"Opening up the rail market to competition is all well and good, but where you don't have a sufficient rail infrastructure it is a secondary consideration. In my constituency of Northern Ireland we've benefited from essential improvements in the north-south rail connection from Larne through to the border with the Republic of Ireland and beyond to Dublin as part of the Trans European Network. But the other key limb of our infrastructure is languishing in neglect and resulting decline, namely the link from Belfast to our second city, Londonderry.
This north west route, particularly north of Ballymena has had minimum investment and a mooted 10.5 M GBP expenditure will not address the essential need of infrastructure improvements, but merely arrest further deterioration but still leave us with a network incapable of carrying necessary fast trains. What is urgently needed is inclusion of this north-west line into the TENS programme, followed by the investment and upgrade which could result. It is for this that I appeal to the Commission. A rail bridge across the River Foyle would then open up the opportunity of a rail link into Donegal and thereby provide a truly trans-national link. This north- west line must be not just saved but radically improved, and through TENS the EU can make a worthwhile contribution.
Finally, on the Savary report I must say it seeks to place far too much regulatory burden on the rail industry. It will provide a tier of EU regulation on top of already adequate national regulation, while providing no benefit to the sector or its users."
