Train stop at City of Derry Airport: A good idea but not really feasible

There are “obvious merits” in building a train stop at City of Derry Airport – but it will not happen – Infrastruture Minister Chris Hazzard has indicated.

At present, the Derry to Coleraine rail line runs past the airport.

There have been suggestions that a rail stop at the Eglinton facility would be a good idea for local transport links.

However, M Hazzard has appeared to rule out the proposal.

In the Assembly this week, East Derry SDLP MLA Gerry Mullan asked Mr Hazzard if he had any plans for a ‘railway halt’ at City of Derry Airport.

In response, Mr Hazzard said he welcomed the recent funding boost for the airport.

“In support of this development I will continue to explore options to enhance local connections to and from the airport,” he said.

“In supporting the use of public transport and enhancing access to the airport there would appear to be obvious merits in providing a halt at this location.

“For a rail link to be economically viable at Belfast International Airport it is estimated that annual passengers using the airport would have to be around 10 million.

“Last year the numbers using City of Derry Airport were 284,000.

“In these circumstances it is unlikely that the rail could provide a more effective public transport link than the regular bus services between Derry and Coleraine which set down and pick up at the airport terminal.”