UUP MP Robin Swann has questioned why the infrastructure minister has yet to publish any details about how feasible it is to open up a rail link to Belfast International Airport.

He said there is "no justification" for witholding this.

As the News Letter recently reported, a feasibility study was done earlier this year into the idea of opening up the old Lisburn-to-Antrim railway, often known as the Knockmore Line.

One of the stops on the route is Aldergrove, close to the airport.

placeholder image — Robin Swann has raised the issue of the feasibility study into a rail link to the international airport, calling for it to be published (photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye)

However, whilst the study has been complete since at least springtime, the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) has refused to release the study to the News Letter.

It said it would not be appropriate to do so until after the minister has made a decision on whether to proceed with the new line or not.

See this link.

The department has instead told the News Letter that the minister, Liz Kimmins, intends to publish "its main outcomes later in the autumn" (as opposed to the full study).

But with less than two weeks of autumn left, South Antrim MP Mr Swann is wondering where it is.

He said: “The fact that the Department for Transport in Westminster has received the feasibility study shows that the work is finished and has been circulated.

"There is now no justification for any continued delay in publishing the findings for the public, key stakeholders or elected representatives.

“The minister first said the report would be ready in summer 2025, then she would give her view in the autumn.

"We are now at the end of November and, beyond this vague seasonal timeline, we still have no further clarity.

"What is the minister waiting for?

“The reopening of the Knockmore Line presents a major economic opportunity for Antrim, Crumlin, Glenavy, Lisburn and the wider region - particularly by providing rail access to Belfast International Airport.”

A DfI spokesperson said: “The report examining the reopening of the Knockmore Railway Line, which would reconnect Antrim and Lisburn via Crumlin, Glenavy, and Ballinderry, and a link to Belfast International Airport, has recently been submitted to the department by Translink.

"When departmental officials and the minister have had time to consider the report’s findings the plan is to publish its main outcomes.”