“Full steam ahead” for rail halt campaign

SDLP MLA for East Londonderry John Dallat believes, however, that with support for the Ministr to find the necessary funding, it could be “full steam ahead” for a rail halt in Ballykelly.

The calls for a rail halt in Ballykelly had been made after the Agriculture Minister Michelle O’Neill announced that her departmental headquarters were to move to the former Shackleton army barracks, bringing 800 jobs to the North West.

The issue was raised on Tuesday at a meeting of the Regional Development Committee at Stormont by Mr Dallat, who won the support of the members to press for a new junction to accommodate civil servants and hopefully many others who will occupy the complex.

The SDLP man said: “Last Monday I spoke to the Minister Danny Kennedy who has been very positive about the proposal but clearly needs all the support he can to obtain the additional funding from the Executive that will be required.

“I have expressed my thanks to Mr Kennedy in the Assembly this week during Question Time for the current work that is taking place to restore the section between Derry and Coleraine at a cost of £22 million pounds.

“I explained to the Minister that the new investment creates new opportunities to promote rail travel and avoid the embarrassment that we could have a railway running through a major area of employment with no halt!”