Sinn Fein Foyle MLA Martina Anderson
The Foyle MLA was commenting after raising the proposal with the infrastructure minister.
“Providing an express train service would seriously enhance connectivity for the North West by cutting train journey times and reducing our reliance on private car journeys,” Martina Anderson said.
“After I wrote to the Minister for Infrastructure, the department stated that Derry’s current single-track rail infrastructure needs to be upgraded to support an express service.
“It has also been confirmed that the upcoming All-Island Rail Review will assess how our existing rail connections can be improved in Derry.
“This review must seriously explore how we can better increase the frequency of services and cut journey times.
“In 2017, my party colleague Chris Hazzard introduced an hourly Derry to Belfast service, which dramatically increased passenger numbers to 3 million for the first time in 2019.
“As we emerge from the pandemic, we need to rethink how public transport can better deliver for Derry, and help deliver a greener, more sustainable future.”
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