DOWNPATRICK and County Down Railway (DCDR) will not receive grant aid support from its local authority Newry, Mourne and Down District Council from the Business Flood grant scheme – despite flooding causing extensive damage to the railway at the end of October during Storm Ciaran (RM December 2023).
DCDR chairman Robert Gardiner told The RM:“We find the decision by the local council not to provide any financial support disappointing, just because we have insurance. While the grant of £7500 would be helpful, it’s a long way off the actual cost of the damage the flooding has caused. We estimate that damage to tools and equipment alone is more than £500,000.”
He added:“We have not finalised the cost of the damage to our rolling stock, which needs to be assessed by a specialist rail industry assessor, and that is not due to take place until mid- December. However, a potential insurance claim will not cover all the cost of the flood damage.