‘Derry Road’ rail link to Portadown with Letterkenny connection in …

Arup’s draft rail review is due to be presented to the Irish cabinet on Tuesday. (Photo: TONY MONAGHAN)

The draft review is due to be presented to the Irish cabinet today.

As heavily trailed by transport minister Eamon Ryan it will include a recommendation for the restoration of the Derry to Portadown rail line with an onward link to Letterkenny, it’s been reported.

According to the BBC the report says the resurrection of the line along the route once followed by the Great Northern Railway – known as the ‘Derry Road’ in the past – will ‘link the large towns of Strabane, Omagh and Dungannon to the rail network’.

A reopening of the ‘Derry Road’ has been a key plank of the Into the West campaign for improved rail connectivity. (Photo: Into the West)

The proposal is one of 30 recommendations that will cost between €35bn and €36.8bn and take a quarter of a century to deliver completely.

The draft recommends the costs should be met by both jurisdictions on the island on a 75 per cent (Dublin)/ 25 per cent (Belfast) basis.