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EU to invest £17m in Belfast-Dublin railway refurb

The EU is to invest just over £17m into two separate cross-border railway projects in Ireland and Northern Ireland, which it believes will significantly enhance the transport infrastructure of the region.

More than £12m of funding has been allocated to a major upgrade of the Belfast to Dublin

‘Enterprise’ service, and just shy of £5m has also been awarded to a major refurbishment of the Drogheda Viaduct.

Financed through the European Union’s Interreg IVA Programme, which is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), the projects are scheduled for completion in 2015.

Match-funding for the projects has been supplied by the Department for Regional

Development (DRD) in Northern Ireland and the Department of Transport, Tourism and

Sport (DTTAS) in Ireland.

Translink will act as lead partner for the Enterprise project with Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) leading on the Drogheda Viaduct refurbishment.

Pat Colgan chief executive of the SEUPB, said: “These projects represent a significant section of our transportation infrastructure. In supporting their refurbishment the EU’s Interreg IVA Programme is meeting one of its core objectives, namely improving access to essential services that will improve the quality of life for people living on both sides of the border.”

As part of the Belfast to Dublin upgrade, there will be a significant overhaul of the train’s mechanical systems, new interiors, new livery, replacement of the Passenger Information System and a completely new electronic passenger reservation system and CCTV system.

The work at Drogheda Viaduct, originally built in 1885 to support the main Dublin-Belfast railway line, will involve a number of essential refurbishment activities, including steel repairs and full re-painting, renewal of track work over the viaduct, waterproofing of the deck and the installation of a new drainage system.

Colgan added: “Upon completion, both projects will enhance one of our main cross-border infrastructure links, thereby supporting trade and tourism development for a more prosperous and sustainable region.”

Paschal Donohoe TD, minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, representing Dublin Central, said that Belfast and Dublin are the most heavily populated cities on the island but for historical reasons have turned their backs on each other.

“There should be much more business and travel done between the two cities,” he added. “This European investment is a big win for everyone living along the Belfast-Dublin rail corridor.”

(Image: Dublin Connolly station c. William Murphy)

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