Londonderry railway station plan has been broken as row occurred

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

A multi-million renovation planning of the old Waterside railway station in Londonderry has been broken.

It is £26m plans from Translink which would see the expansion of a regional multi-modal transport hub on the site of the old station. The Transport lobby group Into The West is petitioning Derry City and Strabane District Council to reject the plans. But the city’s Chamber of Commerce has given the proposals its backing.

The Campaigner Eamonn McCann of Into The West said the transport hub plans were “a laughing stock”.

He said that under the proposals the station would effectively be unused. Trains, he said, would park outside the old station and the building separated from the Foyle riverfront by two railway lines and a car park. The multimillion pound redevelopment is being funded by the European Union with support from Stormont’s Department for Infrastructure and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport in the Republic of Ireland. Mr McCann said that rejecting the current proposals did not threaten the project’s funding. Into The West had prepared alternative plans that should be given full consideration, he said. The old station was identified as the preferred site for the £26m transport hub after a public consultation. It includes plans for the park-and-ride facilities and improved public transport to the city centre.

The plans also see the current station demolished and the creation of a greenway link to the city centre via the Peace Bridge.

The President of Londonderry’s Chamber of Commerce, Jennifer McKeever said the transport hub will be a “great asset to the city and region”.

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