Transport department defends blueprint for a new 200kmph railway line in the west of Northern Ireland - though there's little sign of a price tag or who's paying

However, it also gave no indication of its cost, and also implied that the project remains a long way off.

The News Letter reported this week that transport minister John O’Dowd is pursuing the idea of a whole new stretch of railway track west of the Bann, with trains capable of travelling on it at 200kmph (about 124mph).

This is far faster than other services in Northern Ireland, where even the Belfast to Dublin Enterprise service only has a top speed of 90mph.

Prof Brian Caulfield of Trinity College Dublin said that he favours the idea of some kind of rail link between Londonderry and Portadown via Omagh and Strabane, which is being envisaged as part of an all-island railway plan that’s currently under consideration by minister O’Dowd.

But he said making it as fast as 124mph seemed “ridiculous” given both the relatively low population of the area and the short geographical distances between each stop.

He likened it to putting in a motorway when a rural road would do.

The new line would provide a quicker route between Londonderry to Dublin than the one that currently goes through Coleraine, Ballymena and Belfast.

As well as that new railway line, another new one is also envisioned between Armagh City and Mullingar (though this would only have a maximum speed of 12kmph (75mph).

Minister O’Dowd has sounded upbeat about these ideas when speaking in the Assembly in the past fortnight, telling MLAs that “delivering these interventions is one of my key priorities as the infrastructure minister”.

Professor Caulfield’s criticism was put to the Department of Infrastructure.

The News Letter also asked how much these lines would cost, and how much of the money for them would come from the Republic of Ireland government.

The department’s statement said: “Finalising the All-Island Strategic Rail Review is one of minister O’Dowd’s key priorities.

"The minister has been clear that we should be ambitious around our rail network and that we maximise the potential of rail to support social and economic development of our transport system.

"The draft Review, which was released to public consultation from July 25 to September 29, 2023, makes 30 recommendations for the rail network.

"These include a new dual-tracked line from Portadown to Derry, which will be specified at intercity standards (ie, capable of speeds of up to 125mph/200kmph), and a new single-track line from Portadown to Mullingar which will be capable of speeds of up to 75mph/120kmph.

"Consideration of responses to the public consultation is ongoing.

"Once the review is finalised it will be presented to the governments of both jurisdictions for approval.

"However, once published, further work will be needed to prioritise the recommendations and then to undertake feasibility studies and develop business cases to support any future investment decisions.

"This will include consideration of costings and funding avenues.

“Regarding line speeds on the proposed north west rail line, as stated in the draft report, evidence from Britain and Europe suggests that to achieve an average speed of 120kmph, intercity rail services need to operate at speeds up to 200kmph to ensure that, taking account of stops waiting times and interchange times, the railway delivers a faster journey time than the private car.

"The minister is committed to addressing regional imbalance and ensuring that improving rail services to the north-west is a key part of this.

"The rail review offers an opportunity to deliver real and lasting change for people, communities and our island economy through faster speeds, greatly improved frequency, new routes particularly across the west and north and widened accessibility across the island.”