Top Brussels committee says more should be invested in NW railways

A TOP level Brussels committee says it regrets North Western railways haven’t benefited from more EU development funding and has encouraged the Irish Transport Minister Leo Varadkar to do something about it.
By Kevin Mullan
Published 1st Oct 2013, 14:16 BST

Erminia Mazzoni, the Chairman of the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament, wrote to Mr Varadkar in July after reviewing a petition from the West On Track group, which is campaigning for better rail infrastructure up the west coast of the island.

Ms Mazzoni wrote: “On the basis of all considerations, the Committee on Petitions regrets that the West/North West Region appears to not have benefited from European Regional Development (ERDF) funding, and that no ex-ante public consultation was reportedly carried out.

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“In addition, the Committee takes the view that the Irish authorities should request the inclusion of (all or part of) the Western Rail Corridor as an element for consideration during the preparation of the revision of the trans-European transport network (TEN-T) guidelines.”

If this happened, it could have potential implications for a prospective cross-border rail link between Londonderry and Donegal.

Northern Ireland Rail Minister Danny Kennedy recently punted the decision on a cross-border link to his counterpart in Leinster House.

He stated: “Irish Rail’s Rail Strategy Network Review, published in 2011, considered the proposal to create a new rail connection from Londonderry into Donegal and beyond; the conclusion of which was that it would not be economically viable to do so in the period up to 2030.”

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But according to the mid-term evaluation of the TEN-T programme (2007-2013), which was published in March 2011, cross-border projects like the one suggested are exactly the kind that could be funded.

The report explains: “Right from the start the focus has been on cross-border projects, with a strong emphasis on high-speed rail in the first years.”

Ms Mazzoni concluded her recent letter to Mr Varadkar by stating: “Members would like to clarify whether there are plans on the part of the Irish government to develop new rail links, motorway connections and other transport infrastructure in and around the West/North West Region, and particularly whether the authorities will reconsider support for the Western Corridor.”

She said the Committee would also explore the possibility of conducting a fact finding mission to the North West in the latter half of 2013.

Related topics:Danny KennedyWestern