Date: 08 Sept 2025
Monies ringfenced for the All-Island Rail Review Studies
Members of the North West Regional Development Group (NWRDG), a partnership of Donegal County Council and Derry City and Strabane District Council, met with the Department for Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins, in relation to rail connectivity to the North West.
In what was a very constructive meeting the NWRDG members highlighted the importance of cross-border collaboration at a national and regional level to ensure that the recommendations of the All Island Strategic Rail Review to connect both Letterkenny and Derry to the existing rail network at Portadown were delivered.
The group welcomed the Minister’s announcement on 26th August 2025 to ring-fence £1m for the All-Island Rail Review studies, £300,000 of which will be allocated towards the Derry to Portadown line. The group noted that the remainder of the funding to complete the more detailed route assessment of the Derry to Portadown would need to be identified in 2026/27.
The group also made the case for a review of rail links along the Atlantic Economic Corridor from Derry to Letterkenny, Sligo, Galway, Limerick and Cork.
