New Newry to Lisburn rail line proposed as part of all-island review

Exciting and ambitious proposals for rail travel across the island of Ireland if enacted could have major impact for Newry. Possibly the most interesting proposal would be a new rail line from Lisburn to Newry going through Dromore and Banbridge. Viewing the potential route on a map shows that it is much more direct than the current line through Portadown. A new proposed line between Portadown and Derry/ Donegal via Dungannon, Omagh and Strabane would also open up the north west to Newry passengers. 

The All Island Strategic Rail Review was published today jointly by The Department of Transport (Ireland) and the Department for Infrastructure (Northern Ireland).If all the proposals were brought forward total cost would be in the region of €36.8bn/£30.7bn  (2023 prices). A consultation on the document runs from now until 29 September.

Of course many of the initiatives couldn't come soon enough and with a time scale of 20-30 years from now for some projects it certainly isn't a short term solution.

Suggestions

Dublin – Belfast corridor: Several options were considered for delivering faster and more frequent intercity services on this corridor. Detailed consultation with Iarnród Éireann and Translink helped establish the following:

• Belfast – Newry: It would be very expensive to four-track the railway on this part of the corridor due to built-up areas, the constrained configuration of Portadown station, challenging alignments, and a significant number of level crossings. A shorter, direct line is likely to be a more viable solution for at this part of this corridor, but both options should be considered in developing this intervention.

• A new 200km/h (125mph) line from Belfast to Newry via Hillsborough, Dromore, and Banbridge, with connections to the Lisburn- Antrim line and towards Portadown.

Other proposals include connecting Dublin, Belfast International and Shannon Airport to the railway network.

The Review sets out 30 recommendations for developing a rail network that would significantly benefit commuters, communities, businesses, the environment and economies, both north and south. If the recommendations are implemented in full it could transform the rail system in the coming decades with electrification, faster speeds and greatly improved frequency, opening a number of new routes particularly across the West and North of the island, and widening accessibility and connectivity across the island.

Currently Ireland has about 2,300 km (1,440 miles) of public rail lines. If the recommendations in this new rail review are implemented this would increase to 2,950 km (1,845 miles).

You can view all the documents on the review at www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

Interested parties can make submissions by email to strategicrailreview@arup.com by 11:59pm on Friday 29 September 2023.

Following the consultation period, the Minister for Transport and Government in Ireland as well as Minister for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland, will be asked to approve the final Review incorporating any changes as a result of the SEA consultation process. It is anticipated, subject to those approvals, that the final Review will be published around the end of the year. Should there continue to be an absence of Ministers in the NI Executive, approval will be considered taking into account the relevant legislation in place at the time.

Read the All Island Strategic Rail Review