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06 Sept 2025
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06 Sept 2025
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Rail campaigners ‘Into The West’ have released a video to highlight the anniversary of the ‘St Valentine’s Shutdown’ of the Derry-Portadown railway line on 14th February 1965.
That closure stripped counties Tyrone and Donegal of their last bit of rail, erased the north-west’s direct rail link with Dublin, and left Derry city with just a single railway line & station
Into The West are campaigning to have the route reopened as part of their North West Rail Corridor proposal – which is a restored spine of rail from Letterkenny through Derry, Strabane, Omagh and Dungannon to Portadown, from where trains would travel directly on south to Dublin or north to Belfast.
Once reopened, the Corridor will return rail to Donegal and Tyrone for the first time in 60 years and help to close the huge gap in the island’s rail network.
In addition, it will also provide the foundation stone for three further rail reopenings in the future - extending the proposed Western Rail Corridor north from Sligo through Donegal to Letterkenny ; extending rail from Omagh down to Enniskillen and Sligo ; and creating a Mid-Ulster loop from Dungannon to Cookstown, Magherafelt, Randalstown and Antrim.
Chair of Into The West, Steve Bradley, commented: “February 14th is usually about love, but on Valentine’s Day 1965 the North-west of Ireland was subjected to a brutal break-up.
A key railway route through the entire area was shut down unnecessarily - stripping rail from counties Tyrone and Donegal, and leaving Derry City isolated on the rail network.
"Our latest video reminds people of that St. Valentine’s Day Shutdown, and that such a poor decision for this region can and should be reversed today.
"We would encourage readers to help spread that message by sharing the video, and ask anyone who wants to see the North West Rail Corridor restored to sign the petition on our website.
"Let’s make 2023 the year that the decision is made to put Tyrone and Donegal back on the rail map, and to re-connect Derry directly to Dublin again by rail”.
The videos can be watched on Into The West’s website (www.IntoTheWest.org) as well as on its new YouTube channel (@IntoTheWestRail).
Their petition calling for the restoration of the North West Rail Corridor can be read and signed HERE.
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