Pringle: Rail service for Donegal must be a priority for Apple tax windfall
- Updated: 15th October 2024
Independent TD for Donegal, Thomas Pringle, said the restoration of rail service to Donegal must be a priority use of the Apple tax windfall.
Deputy Pringle said: “Government has said the windfall will be used for infrastructure needs. The Finance Minister has said the Apple tax windfall has ‘the capacity to be transformational’.
“I believe rail service for Donegal would bring that transformational change for the county and for the larger northwest region.
“Sustainable and accessible public transport will be a key element in meeting Ireland’s climate action goals. Rail service offers a low-carbon alternative to private car use and would provide a major boost to Donegal’s connectivity and economic activity.
“Into the West, the rail campaign for Donegal, Derry, Tyrone and Fermanagh, is calling for restoring the 35km Letterkenny-Derry rail link as a priority for funding from the Apple windfall, and for Shared Ireland funding to be allocated immediately towards a detailed feasibility study and route analysis. They say a Letterkenny to Derry rail link would cost less than 4% of the available Apple windfall budget.
“The campaign tells us the northwest is the busiest part of the 500km border for cross-border daily commutes, accounting for 38% of the total. Almost all those journeys take place by car.
“The final report of the All-Ireland Strategic Rail Review, published this summer, has also called for the railway to be extended into Tyrone, Derry and Donegal. The report says restoring rail service would connect the railway to many communities and support direct services between Dublin, Belfast, Derry and Letterkenny.
“I was disappointed to see the report did not recommend connecting Donegal with Sligo and the south of the country as well as with the North. Donegal people travel regularly to the North and Dublin, and also to Sligo and farther south, for work, for school, for medical treatment, for shopping and for many other reasons. I would like to see a rail service that included Donegal town as well as Letterkenny, to serve the travel that is already taking place.
“The need is there. The money is there. It’s now up to Government to commit to restoring rail service to Donegal for the first time in more than 60 years, and to develop a clear plan and timeline for its restoration,” Deputy Pringle said.
