304 trains delayed by signal failures

SIGNAL failures on the Londonderry railway line delayed 304 services and resulted in eight trains being cancelled over the past three years, according to Rail Minister Danny Kennedy.

By The Newsroom

Published 6th Oct 2012, 10:39 BST

Between September 2009 and August 2012 Translink reported 171 faults causing delays.

Mr Kennedy revealed the level of failure in response to an Assembly Question.

The railway between Londonderry and Coleraine recently closed for the first phase of an urgent upgrade that Translink and its engineers last year warned was needed to save the line from closure.

Two local contractors, McLaughlin and Harvey and McCann BAM Rail JV were appointed to deliver major track engineering work between Coleraine and Londonderry until April 2013. The overall upgrade will not be completed, however, until 2021.