REVEALED: £1.4 million a year needed to get hourly Derry-Belfast train service on track

An hourly train service between Derry and Belfast would cost millions of pounds to implement, it has been revealed.

When current work on the Coleraine to Derry track is completed it will 'create the potential for the introduction of an hourly service', Infrastructure Minister Chris Hazzard has said.

He said the introduction of such a service would be 'dependent upon my department securing the necessary resource funding to subsidise Translink to operate the additional services required.'

Mr Hazzard said the estimated cost of the additional services to the Department of Infrastructure would be £1.4m per year.

He also revealed an hourly service would be dependent on Translink putting in place required operational and timetabling arrangements.

Mr Hazzard said he had been in talks with Translink and asked that the required arrangements be 'progressed'.

The Infrastructure Minister revealed the information when answering an Assembly question.

Translink have said they were 'committed' to ensuring an hourly link between Derry and Belfast as far back as November 2014.