Support for Railway Development

Speech by David Ford delivered to Assembly, 14 May 2007 on Tue 15th May 2007

I welcome the debate, and I thank Mr Dallat for initiating it. I also welcome the near unanimity among all Members who have spoken, and I look forward to hearing what the new Minister will say on the matter. It is time for him to establish that his Department has ceased to be the Department for roads development and that it actually does a bit of rail development as part of its functions.

However, Lord Morrow's self-congratulatory speech about his party was out of line with the near unanimity achieved. I remember some of the issues he mentioned - in particular, the day that Mr Campbell, the then Minister for Regional Development, came to Crumlin to announce that the Knockmore line was to remain in operation for a year. I also remember that he did not show his face in south Antrim a year later when he closed the line.

If we hope to increase our rail infrastructure, we must ensure that we do so completely and in all places. While we should celebrate the success of the Assembly, in its first guise, in maintaining any kind of railway system - without the Assembly, we probably would have been reduced to having the Enterprise line and nothing else - we should not be too self-congratulatory, as a lot needs to be done.

It has been highlighted that the Bangor to Portadown line is providing a service and attracting passengers but at a considerable cost overrun. If the Assembly is to ensure that it gets best value for money, it must ensure that that does not happen again.

Mr Beggs highlighted a particular issue, and I know that Sean Neeson would not forgive me if I did not mention the failure to provide new rolling stock on the Larne line and that the decision to order 23 train sets was inadequate for the needs of the existing rail lines. There is also a need to improve timetables because they are a major disincentive to people to use trains. They are difficult to read when compared with bus timetables, which tend to be much simpler on some key routes. In retrospect, the decision to purchase 23 new train sets represented not nearly enough investment. Another 18 to 20 sets should have been ordered.

The lack of railway infrastructure north of Ballymena was highlighted - John Dallat is keenly interested in that matter. That must be addressed if the Assembly hopes to link the main population centres.

I welcome the fact that the amendment proposed by Mr Beggs refers to some significant key areas in respect of rail use - for example, commuter services into Belfast. That is why it is so unfortunate that the DUP, in a past life, closed the Knockmore line and thereby made it more difficult to reinstate services that could have linked to Belfast International Airport, which Dr McCrea, as the local MP, spoke about enthusiastically. Perhaps, rather than addressing the rest of us, he should speak with Mr Campbell and link up the inconsistencies in the DUP's position on that point.

2.30 pm

We need to develop those commuter services to ensure that people in places such as Crumlin and Antrim - which has a growing population - Mossley and Ballyclare get a decent transport service. We must follow through on Translink's plans - which have not yet been funded by the DRD - to get a rail and bus interchange beside the M2 at Templepatrick. Implementing those plans would do far more to decrease congestion at Sandyknowes than any plans to widen the motorway.

If development of the rail network is to be taken seriously, then it must be at the heart of DRD policy. The Department must establish the circumstances in which trains can begin to substitute for use of the private car. The Alliance Party is not sure that that point has been reached.

When discussing option appraisals and research, it is easy to look at the financial factors involved. However, factors such as social inclusion - mentioned in the debate in relation to who has access to private vehicles - have not yet been taken into account. Other factors include the growing environmental problem that is now recognised across the world. Only public transport will solve our problems in commuting on the current mass scale, and commuting into Belfast in particular.

The motion and the amendment highlight some key issues that must be addressed. However, many problems will not be solved without a significant and serious input. There is no way that the Assembly will be able to resolve the environmental problems around Belfast if it continues to allow the private car to eat up 60% of the investment in transport. If the motion is to mean anything then Members must accept that the rail network is a key part of our transport infrastructure and not just as an option for a few extra visitors.

If I may digress into your own county, Mr Deputy Speaker, I believe that Mr McCartney and his colleagues will have to determine what the key development in the west of the Province will be. They will have to decide whether a railway line through Donegal will be better than one through west Tyrone, which I used on my summer holidays and look forward to using again.