Meeting told to 'believe that Strabane will get its railway back'

RAIL campaigners held a well-attended public meeting in Strabane last week, Monday, February 23, where the case for trains returning to Strabane was outlined, along with a new ‘Metro NorthWest’ proposal for a better connected region.

‘Into The West’ is the rail campaign for the north-west of the island, covering counties Tyrone, Derry, Donegal and Fermanagh.

The organisation was founded in 2004 - initially to save the railway line between Derry and Coleraine from the threat of closure - and has since become the leading voice for rail transport across this corner of the island.

They recently launched an ambitious new proposal for rail branded ‘Metro NorthWest – which takes the existing rail network that runs between Derry, Coleraine and Portrush ; expands it in ways that are already progressing following the All-Island Rail Strategy (including new stations in Strabane and Omagh); and then enhances it further by adding a number of new stations - including in places like Sion Mills and Newtownstewart.

This would create a new regional rail ‘brand’ operating within and alongside the wider rail network.

Stretching from Letterkenny in the west to Coleraine/Portrush in the east and Omagh in the south, with services converging in and travelling via Derry City.

This new regional ‘Metro NorthWest’ sub-network envisages a greatly enhanced passenger experience for rail users, including

1: Services every 30 minutes, seven days a week, from 7am to at least 11pm.

2: A ‘Pay As you Go’ system (with Tap in, Tap out payment).

3: Ticketing and timetables integrated with local bus networks.

4: Improved on-board cycle space.

5: Fully electrified routes/trains (for quicker, cleaner and quieter journeys).

Into The West have been holding a series of public meetings across the region to explain the Metro NorthWest concept and make the case for rail returning to towns Like Strabane and Omagh.

On Monday of last week they held the first of two Tyrone events in Strabane Library, and despite the rain an enthusiastic crowd gathered to find out more.

The group also held a similar meeting three days later in Omagh, with another passionate crowd attending there too.

Chair of Into The West, Steve Bradley, commented: “It was great to see a good crowd at our Strabane event on Monday, with everyone in attendance really engaging with the need for rail to return to Tyrone and for the region to be better connected.

"Our key message on the night was that only five years ago the idea that Tyrone should get its rail back would have been considered ‘pie in the sky’. Y

"et now there is an All-Island Rail Strategy endorsed by the governments north and south which states clearly that trains must return to Strabane, Omagh and Dungannon.

"And just two months ago a Rail Prioritisation Strategy was released by the two governments, which makes the return of rail to those towns a key project.

"So it is not longer a case of ‘If?’ rail will be returning to Strabane and Tyrone – it is now a case of ‘when?’.

"We have seen the case for rail in Tyrone being made and being won."

The timeline for rail being restored in Tyrone was another key message raised by Into The West at their meeting on Monday.

Mr Bradley continued: “Reintroducing a rail line between Derry and Portadown would connect Strabane, Omagh and Dungannon to the rail network again, and reinstate a North West Rail Corridor between this corner of the island and its largest cities in Dublin and Belfast.

"However - the current proposal is to only restore that route in 2045 at the earliest.

"That would condemn yet another generation to be born and raised in Tyrone without rail - with all the damage that would cause to our economy, population and tourism”.

The closing message of Into The West’s event on Monday was that people locally must believe that rail will return to the county, and demand that the date for doing so is accelerated.

Steve Bradley concluded: “The NorthWest Rail Corridor from Derry to Portadown scored the highest of any rail reopening project in the recent All-Island Rail Strategy - with an expectation of 3 million passengers a year.

"So it is an extremely viable project which would completely alter connectivity across Tyrone.

"It is therefore essential that the timescale for introducing it is brought forward, so that Strabane and Omagh can start to reap its benefits as early as possible.

"That’s why our meeting on Monday encouraged everyone to become advocates for rail in Strabane, and demand that their elected representatives and council secure speedier reintroduction.

"Tyrone has suffered from poor connectivity for six decades, and it has negatively impacted the economy and population of towns like Strabane.

"We all need to push hard to ensure that damage is undone as soon as possible - and certainly before 2045+”.

More information on ‘Metro NorthWest’ and the campaign to bring rail back to Tyrone can be found at: www.intothewest.org

Submitted by Steve Bradley, Into the West chair