Anderson and Maclochlainn meet Rail groups over North West Connectivity
Sinn Féin Foyle MLA Martina Anderson and Donegal TD Pádraig Mac Lochlainn met with rail groups today over ways to build an All-Ireland rail service fitting for the North West.
Martina Anderson said:
“Rail has a key part to play in our island’s future with regards to connectivity, sustainability and economic development.
“In order for the North West to fully capitalise on our full economic potential, we need to address the striking absence of rail in Derry and Donegal.
“The potential for extending the Derry line to Letterkenny and Strabane, while also looking at links further south into places such as Sligo, needs serious consideration north and south.
“This would help reverse decades of regional inequalities across the north west, while being a huge leap forward in terms of developing a genuine all-Ireland rail network that serves the whole island.
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn added:
“Donegal has been starved of rail for generations- this is not only a symptom of partition but demonstrates the extent that Donegal’s infrastructure has been neglected by the southern government.
“A rail extension from Derry to Letterkenny, would mean Donegal would once again have access to rail, connecting them to their Derry neighbours and the rest of the northern rail network.
"Meanwhile, links southwards to Sligo and Galway, could go a long way to ending Donegal's poor provision of infrastructure and isolation from the rest of the island.
“Both Transport Ministers, north and south need to put their heads together and look at ways to progress a rail service that the north west deserves.”