City rail lobby to meet officialsover line future

The lobby group will be pressing new Translink Chief Executive David Strahan for assurances that there will be no further delays in long-promised work on the line because of recently-announced budget restraints.

“Our experience has been of delay after delay,” said a spokesperson for the group.

“The latest set-back was the announcement in September last year that installation of a passing loop and new signalling will not now be completed until 2016, This rules out the vital hourly service to Belfast for two more years,” the spokesperson added.

Meanwhile, the group has pointed out how a further £17.6 million has been provided for improvements on the Dublin line.

“This money seems to have been produced out of a hat in short order - despite the fact that, according to Translink’s own figures, passenger numbers between Derry and Belfast have risen by 238 percent over the last few years – compared with the 25 percent growth over 25 years which had been predicted. At the same time, numbers on the favoured Dublin line have actually fallen.

“By any measure, the Derry-Belfast rail line has been one of the great Northern Ireland success stories of recent years. But this seems to have counted for little when improvement and spending priorities were being established.

”Far from asking for special treatment, we want an end to the special negative treatment the Derry line has suffered down the years. There must be no question of Derry taking another hit as a result of proposed cuts in the budget of the Department of Regional Development. We will be asking Translink to tell the Department that funding for the Derry line must be ring-fenced before any discussion takes place of reshaping spending plans.

“We want Translink’s new chief executive to understand the strength of feeling on the issue. We want it cast-iron that there will be no postponement of completion of Phase II beyond 2016.”

The group said that it will also be pressing for the historic Waterside station to be brought back into public ownership.

“We want to see 21st century trains arriving in and departing from our unique 19th century station. The public consultation showed 64 percent in favour of this plan.

“We want Translink to tell us straight whether they regard the wishes of the people on the issue as decisive and when we can expect the people’s wishes to be put into practical effect.”