Sinéad McLaughlin has claimed Derry has for years been treated as ‘second class when it comes to rail services’.

Transcript

00:00For years now, Derry, the second city in Northern Ireland, along with Castle Rock and Ballerina,

00:05have been treated as second class when it comes to rail services.

00:10Let me give you the facts again.

00:12Every station east of Corain gets 13 somebody trains in each direction, essentially a service

00:19every hour, while stations west of Corain just get six trains every two hours.

00:26That's just not fair.

00:28It's absolutely absurd.

00:31Only one train from Derry reaches Belfast before 9am on weekdays.

00:35This is a complete failure of public transport planning and it cripples opportunity for workers,

00:40for students and for the wider regional economy.

00:44The last train from Belfast to Derry is at 9.10pm in the evening and, on Sundays, even

00:50worse at 7.10pm.

00:53After that, passengers to the north-west are cut off.

00:56This is not due to tunnels nor terrains.

01:00It is not down to technical limitations.

01:03This is a political decision, rooted in outdated thinking and tolerated for far too long.

01:09In fact, these three stations, Derry, Castle Rock and Ballerina, each receive 2,400 fewer

01:16services per year than their eastern counterparts.

01:21We're 1 million fewer seats for a city trying to grow its university, attract businesses

01:27and retain young people.

01:29And for what?

01:30We're told the cost to fix it is in the region of £1.5 million a year, barely a footnote

01:37in that departmental budget.

01:39That works out at less than 8p per rail journey across the network, a tiny price to pay to

01:45end a glaring inequality that has persisted since 2017.

01:50Let's not forget that this affects more than commuters.

01:54With a growing university and degree already facing a shortage of accommodation, many students

01:59are now commuting into Derry, and yet only one train reaches the city by 9am.

02:06That's unacceptable.

02:07With major events like the opening of Portrush this summer, the failure to provide proper

02:12Sunday services west of Banff will once again undermine Derry and the wider north-west as

02:17a destination for visitors, investment and growth.

02:20Mr Speaker, this is no longer a quiet policy flaw, it's a loud message to the people

02:26of the north-west that we are not seen, we are not prioritised and we are not treated

02:31equally.