It will cost £50 million to clean up dump at Mobuoy near Derry
Speaking following Opposition Day the Assembly focusing on the North West Region, Mr Durkan said: “The state of our transport links is not just an inconvenience but a barrier to success.
“The lack of adequate rail links and road infrastructure is a major factor in the regional inequalities that persist across the North.
“The North’s second city has been promised progress for years, yet the ‘gap in the map’ in terms of rail provision still exists.
“We need to see delivery of the Phase 3 rail upgrade, more frequent and accessible services from Derry.
“Since the hourly Belfast service from Derry was introduced in 2017, we’ve witnessed a year on year record breaking passenger numbers which has seen the North West Transport Hub climb from the 17th busiest station in the North to the 7th.
“Yet inexplicably, Derry still has just six rail services on a Sunday whereas every station on the line East of the Bann has 13.
“There have been no efforts in the last few years to improve that frequency and when I asked the Minister to commit to improvements, she simply ‘recognised’ that it would be beneficial.
“The long-overdue A6 upgrade remains painfully slow, with Phase 2 dependent on resolving the Mobuoy illegal waste site.
“Yet there is still no agreed plan on preferred options for remediation.
“Mobuoy has put us on the world map for all the wrong reasons as the largest illegal dump in Europe.
“It’s shocking that it hasn’t featured in a Programme for Government who claims ‘Protecting the Planet’ is one of its three key missions.
“Beyond the A6, the general state of our roads is unacceptable.
“Potholes, flooding, and years of neglect have made travelling in the region a daily challenge with busy roads like Strand Road and Northland Road in a shocking state of disrepair.
“We also need the Executive to cough up its fair share in terms of investment for the A5.
“A funding commitment from the Irish Government to kick-start the necessary improvements on this route is welcome but we’ve heard little in terms of funding from our own Executive.
“Investing in the A5 is investing in our community’s safety.
“It needs to be treated a as a priority and must be delivered to protect lives.
“The North West has been left off the transport agenda for too long. We can’t allow another decade of empty promises while Belfast gets the lion’s share of transport investment.
“Every citizen, regardless of postcode, deserves safe, reliable, and affordable transport system that we can build a future on.”
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