Debate contribution: All-island Rail Network

Debate contribution by Mr David Honeyford on 27 February 2024.

MLA

Mr David Honeyford

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

27 February 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

All-island Rail Network

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4238031

Read the official Assembly record

Text

As Alliance economy spokesperson, I welcome the motion and the amendment, and I will speak to the motion from an economic point of view, in terms of delivering connectivity across this island, which is needed to renew and reshape our economy, provide growth and create jobs here in the North of the island. Good connectivity and infrastructure enables the economy to grow, and it sets the platform on which our economic growth can be built. The Belfast to Dublin economic corridor is vital to that expansion, and, as a Member for Lagan Valley, I also want to see that growth happen in my constituency with the development of new economic zones in Blaris and into the Maze/Long Kesh site, which are connected on the island and would support achieving economic regional balance. The all-island review, if realised, will help deliver vital strategic economic growth here and, importantly, help encourage further tourism to come north, building on the 70% of our tourists who fly into Dublin Airport. A rail connection at Belfast International Airport is also vital for the connectivity of the business community, for tourism and for my constituents in the village through which the line passes. Given that Dublin Airport is practically at capacity with passenger numbers, there is also an opportunity for both Belfast airports to capture the significant growth in numbers and to realign passenger numbers across the island. That would create an opportunity for new routes and new markets locally. The hourly service between Belfast and Dublin is also key to our having a frequent, reliable service that will attract more growth and boost our economy, and that is absolutely vital if we are to change how people travel and are to create modal shift. Connectivity is therefore absolutely key. Ultimately, what I am saying is that public transport is a driver of economic opportunity. I say that not solely in environmental terms, but our climate change commitments for 2030 and beyond are critical, and there is a critical need for the Minister to focus on that modal shift across Northern Ireland. Government investment in transport over a sustained period has been seriously lacking, but I hope that the new Grand Central station development that is under way marks the first phase of delivery and leads to a change of direction. Although the review is welcome, it is a pity that it is limited solely to rail and does not include a rapid transit system once people reach each city. That could have been included, as could the development of further linkage systems, such as the expansion of the Glider network in Belfast and looking at having a similar network in other towns and cities, where it would improve the existing network, increase connectivity and encourage economic growth. Again, that would support economic regional rebalancing. It is not just about linking towns and cities but about linking places of learning, places of work and medical centres. It is also about how people, when they arrive somewhere, complete their journey, so let us be ambitious, be confident in our ability and be open to opportunities to grow. That is something that I feel has been missed and something that the Minister should look at seriously. For example, for my constituency of Lagan Valley, a simple route like the Glider route in Belfast — it can be replicated in other places where train links end — could, in Lisburn, connect the train station to major industry, the health centre, schools and retail centres, thus allowing people to move quickly across the area.

I thank the Member for the extra minute. I absolutely recognise that Fermanagh has been missed out and that we should be looking to see how doing that can be configured. I take the point about the Glider: it is something that we could use. Rather than a bus service, which is from centre to source, the Glider crosses a town or city, and I have no doubt that that model could be used in the Member's area in Enniskillen. The year 2028 is marked in our diaries, and hosting the Euros gives us the focus of mind to deliver at least the low-hanging fruit of this all-island plan in time for the tournament, and it should focus our minds. The Knockmore line — the proposed circle line — from Lisburn to Antrim that connects the airport should be reopened, and that should happen in time for the Euros. The delivery of the new fleet of Enterprise trains and the announcement that those trains will run hourly is another element that should allow visiting fans who come to this island to travel between Belfast and Dublin very simply and very quickly. That would be a start, and we could at least begin to move towards delivery of this transport policy, meaning that the legacy of the Euros would be felt for generations to come.

818 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 09:41 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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