TRANSPORT Minister Eamon Ryan, speaking in the Dail on January 23, all but confirmed that several mothballed lines are likely to reopen, initially for freight, as a result of the All Island Rail Review. He said that reconnecting Letterkenny, in County Donegal to the rail network at Derry was likely to be one of the projects to be taken forward.
The review, undertaken by Arup, for the Irish Government and Northern Ireland Executive was due to be published in the autumn of 2022, but delayed because of the collapse of the Executive.
Answering questions on the review, Mr Ryan said returning rail connectivity to Donegal and improving it to the North West will not be cheap and he had discussions with Arup and consultants from The UK Union Connectivity Review.
He said: “It would be very expensive because we would need to build a new line. In my mind, it is the right strategic view in terms of where rail could return in importance to our island and would be transformative, in particular in providing access to the North West.”