Consultation open on planning application for railway maintenance works on line near Mussenden Temple

The planning application is for “3.5km section of the Coleraine to Derry~Londonderry railway corridor located within and adjacent to the Magilligan (Area of Special Scientific Interest) ASSI (between Mussenden Temple and 645 Seacoast Road, Downhill, Limavady)”.

A Design and Access Statement said: “A 20.5 mile section of the Railway Corridor on the Coleraine to Derry~Londonderry line between the 67.5 mile post at Castlerock and 88 mile post at Eglinton is currently scheduled by Translink to undergo track maintenance works taking place over a 4 month period between June and September in 2027, 2028 and 2029.

"The works are necessary to maintain the safe and efficient running of rail services and to replace existing track assets at the end of their design life. There will be no change or extension to existing rail infrastructure within the corridor, only maintenance and upkeep of existing assists."

Some sections of track located between Mussenden Temple and 645 Seacoast Road are partly located within the Magilligan ASSI – hence why a planning application is required.

The proposed works within the 3.5km rail corridor comprise ballast maintenance, rail and sleeper replacement and waterproofing of bridges, replacement of signals and level crossing renewal.

"In summary, the track maintenance works proposed under this application will not introduce any new rail infrastructure over and above that which currently exists within this section of the existing railway corridor,” the Statement added.