LEADING BUSINESS NW

23^rd November 2007

The President of the NW's Leading Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Ian Crowe, has welcomed the announcement by DRD Minister Conor Murphy to lift the restriction on investment in the Derry rail link North of Ballymena and thereby open the way for the preparation of a business case for a substantial upgrade of the section of the line between Coleraine and Derry.

Mr. Crowe said, "This is welcome news. Our Chamber has been lobbying constantly since the publication of the N. I. Regional Transportation Strategy for a modern, fast, frequent, reliable inter-Urban rail service between the two major Cities in Northern Ireland. It made little economic sense to the business community in the North West to see Derry designated as the only Regional City Gateway in Northern Ireland outside Belfast and then have Direct Rule Ministers threaten closure of the rail link with the capital City. It made even less sense, in these circumstances to have, successive economic strategies stressing the crucial importance of good infrastructure as a key economic driver in a context where the Government's own transport policy was putting the North West at risk of losing a key part of its existing transportation network."

Chamber CEO Janice Tracey agreed wholeheartedly but acknowledged that opening the way for the preparation of a business case for an upgrade of part of this line was only a start. Careful consideration needed to be given to the terms of reference for the business case and to the timescale over which projections about passenger numbers and future revenue streams would be calculated. "We need a total commitment from Government that we have now reached the end of a "roads only" policy as far as the long-term transportation strategy for the North West is concerned. It was never sustainable to rely on a single road link to provide sufficient capacity to absorb long-term future traffic growth, particularly a road link which remains subject to closure in severe weather conditions" said Janice Tracey.

The Chamber President urged the Minister to be mindful of the cross- border dimension of a fast reliable rail service between Derry and Belfast with the onward connection to Dublin. "Not only do we need to consider the long-term development of the Derry Belfast railway but we need collaboration during the preparation of the business case with the Republic of Ireland, particularly in the context of their National Development Plan and their proposals for infrastructure co-operation in the North West."

In conclusion the President congratulated the Minister for Regional Development, Mr. Conor Murphy, on his far sighted decision to lift the restriction on investment in the Derry line and said that the Chamber and other key players in the City and the wider North West would welcome consultation on the terms of reference for the business study and on key stages of its preparation.

For further information contact Helena - 02871262379

Notes to Editors

The Chamber of Commerce is the NW's leading business representation organization, with over 400 direct members and through NWCCI (partnership of Chambers in the NW region), links to over 1000 businesses in the NW.