Draft report of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review puts Donegal back on the map

A draft report of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review (AISRR) that was published on Tuesday has recommended the restoration of a line into Donegal.

A new single-track line between Derry and Letterkenny “would connect the major urban centres of the North West to each other and greatly improve access to Belfast and Dublin,” according to the draft.

The cost of implementing the 30 recommendations is estimated between €35 billion and €36.8bn and would take "the best part of 25 years" to deliver.

“Reinstating the railway between Portadown, Dungannon, Omagh, Strabane, Derry and Letterkenny would connect the railway to many communities and support direct services between Dublin, Belfast, Derry and Letterkenny,” it said.

The lines to Letterkenny would cost an estimated €200-300 million. However, there will be no train through Barnesmore or into south and west Donegal, although the report stated they were taken into account and would be part of a better transport network. 

“Targeting corridors or towns with very low demand potential,” the report continued. “Interventions that aimed to connect towns with populations of 10,000 or more that passed through sparsely populated areas - for example, Letterkenny to Sligo - were considered, whereas interventions that did not extend to towns of a similar population and only served sparsely populated areas, like West Cork, were deemed to be unviable for rail.

“Furthermore, there is challenging terrain in many parts of the region – for instance, a line between Sligo and Derry would require complex crossings of the River Garavogue and River Erne and then a route through the Barnesmore Gap. The relatively low level of anticipated demand suggests that rail is not the appropriate solution to improve connectivity along many of the routes assessed.”

Integrated bus service and rail service timetables to connect communities where direct rail access is unviable were mentioned, saying bus services can help new railways boost public transport connectivity. It was also stated that increased electrification of the network would both reduce emissions and improve journey times.

Donegal Sinn Féin TDs Pearse Doherty and Pádraig Mac Lochlainn have welcomed the draft. They have said that the review was further evidence that the government must step up and deliver an action plan with clear timelines to invest in and grow our rail networks.

“The review recommends rail being returned to Donegal via a route running from the existing Dublin-Belfast line at Portadown, through Omagh, Strabane, and on to Letterkenny and Derry,” Teachta Doherty said. “The review is also further proof that successive governments have not only neglected but dismantled the rail infrastructure in Ireland and specifically in the North West.

“This is also an all-island review and is a departure from the norm, which is very much welcome. The government must now consider the recommendations, and commit to an action plan to invest and grow our rail networks. This must not become one of the many reports that just sits on a shelf while this current government is in office.”

Teachta Mac Lochlainn added: “The publication of this long-awaited draft review is a step in the right direction. However, what we need now is for government to deliver an action plan with clear timelines.

“In particular, we need to see movement on rail infrastructure being brought to the North West. A European Commission report ranked the North West 113th out of 200 regions in terms of infrastructure investment - regions outside of Dublin must have proper infrastructure development in order to develop economically.

“A thriving North West benefits the whole country and this is why it is such a priority for Sinn Féín. Investment in infrastructure must be the starting point.”

The AISRR was launched in April 2021 by Eamon Ryan, Minister for Transport Ireland, and Nichola Mallon, then Minister at the Department for Infrastructure, Northern Ireland. 

Minister Ryan will bring the draft report to Cabinet today. The review cannot be formally published until a Stormont minister is in place to sign it off. A consultation period for both the draft of the AISRR and the Strategic Environmental Assessment opened on Tuesday and will close on Friday, September 29.