Derry - Coleraine railway relay and implications for Donegal

The Idyll Race

The railway from Derry to Coleraine is closed until April 2013 for a rebuild, when it will reopen with much improved speeds. Prior to the closure it could take nearly an hour to travel to Coleraine. The line from Coleraine to Belfast Central now has its fastest train taking less than a hour to travel non-stop, with the completion of the Derry relay then the journey time as a whole can realistically take an hour and a half, quicker than the bus and competitive with car journey times.

If this is the case, it is not a huge leap then to integrate Derry line services with trains to Dublin, giving a travel time from Derry to Dublin by rail in three and a half hours, and quicker if the NI government invest in their section of the line around Portadown.

This would be a quicker journey time from Derry to Dublin by train than in the days of the old railway line via Omagh and Portadown. Rail becomes a viable choice for the journey from Dublin to the North West to Derry and North Donegal, if the buses are integrated with the rail connection, and all paid for by the NI/British government..

Wote

I've taken the train to Derry from Belfast on a number of occasions and thought it would be very useful if better connections from Dublin were in place. 3.5 hours is a good journey time if it were to happen.