12.02.13
Crucial track section to re-open early
The line between Coleraine and Londonderry is to re-open a month early after a £30m upgrade.
Passengers travelling between Belfast and Derry-Londonderry, Northern Ireland’s two biggest cities, have been using substitute buses for the final leg of their journey for the past nine months.
Transport minister Danny Kennedy said: “The railway line was due to open in April but I was keen for the line to be open in time for the Easter holidays and, in particular, to provide transport for all those people attending the key events at the UK City of Culture in Londonderry.”
He added that the redevelopment work has secured the track’s long term future. Both end sections have been re-laid, the centre section has been re-railed and renewed, and bridge works and safety improvements have also been carried out.
The second phase of works, including re-signalling and the installation of a new passing loop, start in 2015.
Translink NI infrastructure executive Clive Bradberry writes in the Feb/March 2013 edition of Rail Technology Magazine on the wider improvements to the rail network in Northern Ireland, including the rolling stock overhaul.
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