Doubt over huge expansion of Northern Ireland's train network after Translink reveal £4.5bn price tag
A huge expansion of Northern Ireland’s rail network has been called into question after Translink revealed it could cost up to four and a half billion pounds.
The bulk of that price tag comes from building a new Portadown to Londonderry line. An old route between the two was sold off after it shut in the 1960s and much of it has been built over since, so constructing a new one would be a major project.
The Portadown to Londonderry line would also serve Dungannon, Omagh and Strabane, Translink have said, would see a train depart every 20 minutes, and could offer cross-border trips to Letterkenny in Co Donegal – but would cost between £2bn and £3bn to build.
Other ideas include a suggestion of reconnecting Belfast International Airport to the network by reopening a train line from Lisburn to Antrim, opening a route from Portadown to Armagh that could offer cross-border services to Monaghan, and fully electrifying the Belfast to Dublin line, the latter of which is held to be a long overdue move.
Electric trains are faster and more environmentally friendly than diesel, but their lines are more expensive to build; for example, reopening the airport line would cost £500m for electric trains, and £300m for diesel.
According to figures released by Translink, fully completing all four of wish-list projects would come in at a minimum of £3.12bn and a maximum of £4.47bn.
That has DUP MLA Peter Martin questioning how realistically achievable the plans are, no matter how much merit there might be on paper in such a huge expansion of the rail network.
“We cannot ignore the financial context we are operating in,” he said. “With costs running into several billions of pounds, it is clear that delivering projects on this scale would be extremely challenging and could be some time away.
“The public want to see investment in public transport, alongside improvements to our wider road network, but that investment must be grounded in a realistic prospect of being delivered. Any next steps must therefore be carefully prioritised and aligned with what is affordable.
“We need the Infrastructure Minister to ensure that efficiencies are found within her department, and that capital is prioritised to areas where it will have the most significant positive impact.”
Ulster Unionist MLA Robin Swann zeroed in on the airport line. It’s still in operation, though only for engineering and training purposes; he argues that means it would be relatively easy to reopen, and should be Translink’s first priority.
“This is a project that would future-proof our railways, strengthen public transport and significantly improve connectivity,” he said. “It is an investment in Northern Ireland.
"The minister should consider funding allocation in stages, reopen the line with rolling stock to follow, and she should be brave. I firmly believe in this instance “build it and they will come”.
“This has been a key political priority for me since I was elected, and I will continue to push for the reopening.”
However, Mr Swann questioned why a feasibility study on the four projects was published as Stormont went off for its Christmas break, stating: “Publishing this at the beginning of the Assembly recess has left no opportunity for MLAs to question or scrutinise it until the new year.”