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"Donegal suffering 45 year rail
collapse"
26.08.09
A DONEGAL politician
has contrasted the weekend rail collapse in Co
Dublin with a "45-year old rail collapse" in the
North West.
Deputy Joe McHugh expressed sympathy for the 10,000
rail passengers affected by the Malahide viaduct
collapse but said there was a much longer rail
disruption in the country. This was the one
affecting 500,000 Irish people in the North West for
nearly half a century, he said.
“Derry/Donegal to Dublin rail commuters are dealing
with a rail collapse that has caused 45 years of
disruption, resulting in two-hour extensions to
journey times. Five Irish counties - Cavan, Donegal,
Fermanagh, Monaghan and Tyrone - are not currently
serviced by rail, and there is no direct rail link
between Dublin and Derry," said Deputy McHugh. |
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“Last Friday’s rail
line collapse at Malahide caused disruption for
10,000 passengers, imposing a 30 minute extension
onto journey times.
“The controversy that has followed the incident
demonstrates the importance of rail services along
the east coast. It may also serve to highlight the
lack of a rail link between Dublin and the North
West, and the complete absence of rail services in
five Irish counties."
Engineering surveys show that a Derry-Dublin rail
link would take just three hours, including stops in
all major towns across west and south Ulster. |
"Sadly the Government
has shown less concern for the people of the
north-west. This, despite the fact that, in an Irish
context, the population of a Dublin-Donegal rail
corridor is second in size only to the population of
the existing Dublin-Cork rail corridor and would
service an estimated 500,000 commuters," added the
Fine Gael T.D.
“The Derry-Dungannon line closed temporarily in 1965
and Donegal rail services closed temporarily in
1961. Let us hope that Belfast Enterprise Service
commuters do not face a similar 45 year disruption.” |
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