A major review is recommending the restoration of the train line between Derry and Portadown.
BBC News NI is reporting that it has seen the draft report of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review which is expected to be presented to the Irish cabinet this morning by Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan.
The cost of implementing the 30 recommendations is estimated at up to £30 billion.
The recommendations could take up to 25 years to deliver.
Costs would be split between the South and North, with Northern Ireland stumping up 25 per cent, around £7.5 billion.
But the review can’t be formally published until a Stormont minister is in place to sign it off.
However, that seems a long way off at present as the DUP are refusing to return to Stormont
The restoration of a line from Derry to Portadown and on to Letterkenny would “link the large towns of Strabane, Omagh and Dungannon to the rail network” and “greatly improve intercity connectivity” from the north west to Belfast and Dublin, the report says.
There are also recommendations about reinstating the line from Portadown to Armagh, Cavan and Mullingar, building a new direct line between Lisburn and Newry, electrifying “much of” the network and integrating bus and rail ticketing and timetabling to improve access.
Increased electrification of the network would both reduce emissions and improve journey times.
Connecting three of the island’s main airports – Dublin, Belfast International and Shannon – to the rail network would give 90% of commercial aviation passengers access by train.
Six main goals have been established – Decarbonisation, Intercity, Regional & Rural, Sustainable Cities, Freight & Economy, and Economic Feasibility.
If all of its recommendations were delivered, the review authors suggest 700,000 more people across the island of Ireland would live within 5km (3.1 miles) of a train station, boosting rail catchment by 25% on today’s totals.
Connecting larger towns and cities would enable the whole island to double passenger rail market share and boost the all-island economy by €20 billion, based on 2011 prices.
And two-thirds of the island’s freight tonnage would pass through ports served by the railway network.
Both jurisdictions have a target of reaching net zero by 2050, with decarbonising transport set to play a large part in meeting that ambition.
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