Rail upgrade: Ó hÓisín disappointed at ‘further delays’

Sinn Féin MLA Cathal Ó hÓisín has expressed his disappointment at what he has described as further delays to the upgrade of the Londonderry to Belfast train line.

By Staff Reporter

Published 2nd Jun 2015, 16:45 BST

The East Londonderry MLA said: “The campaign for an upgrade to the Derry to Belfast train line has been ongoing for many years and has been hit by continual delays.

“A contractor has now been appointed to complete the re-signalling and installation of a passing loop on the line.

“That is to be welcomed as part of the campaign to have a modern, fit-for-purpose train connection, but we were also told today that the completion of the project will be delayed until late 2016, with parts of the work continuing after that.

“We were also told the costs have now risen to £46 million – more than double what was originally estimated.

“While this progress is welcome, transport minister Danny Kennedy has serious questions to answer both over the delays and the costs of this vital infrastructure project.”