Railway plans £750k expansion

Railway plans £750k expansion

18 September 2019

A MAJOR expansion plan by the Downpatrick and Co Down Railway could be set to get back on track.

A Newry, Mourne and Down Council Committee is to look at vesting private land to allow the heritage railway to press ahead with a £750,000 extension to Ballydugan.

The decision was taken at last week’s meeting of the local authority’s Enterprise, Regeneration and Tourism Committee, but the 

proposal has to be formally ratified by the full council when it meets next month.

Members of the council committee have agreed to instruct their legal team to begin the vesting process, subject to a suitable valuation being agreed and all necessary formalities being completed.

Heritage railway chairman Robert Gardiner said he was delighted with the local authority’s continued support, explaining that the process to acquire the land was started by the former Down Council in 1992.

“We are pleased that the new council is keen to take our expansion plan forward,” he said. “While there was a suggestion that part of the derelict and disused line would have been used as a so-called greenway, developing it as a heritage railway line now seems to be the preferred option.

“The railway had a tremendously successful summer and we hope that we can secure the land we require to allow the extension to proceed. We appreciate that while this may only be the start of the process, we would call on the landowners to talk to us and the local council.”

Mr Gardiner added: “Our door is open and we are happy to chat. We very much view ourselves as good neighbours. We hope that moving forward agreement can be reached.”

Since 2010, work has progressed and a number of studies completed in an effort to advance the planned railway extension, including the completion of a revised business case, along a disused section of line.

Council officials argue that the planned extension would help the local authority meet of one its key objectives in transforming the district into one of Ireland’s premier tourist destinations and help attract and promote economic investment, enhancing the visitor experience.

In addition, council officials are confident that extending the heritage railway line would assist with the regeneration of a rural area.

The local authority said attempts to negotiate a settlement with three landowners at the Ballydugan end of the railway line had not been successful.

As a result, the local authority’s lawyers are to be asked to proceed with a vesting application to allow heritage railway officials to progress discussions with prospective project funders.

Downpatrick councillors Cadogan Enright and Dermot Curran have welcomed the proposal to vest the land.

Cllr Enright — who formally proposed that the vesting process should commence — said the former Down Council earmarked finance to acquire the land to pave the way for the railway’s extension.

He said given the inability to persuade current owners of unused track bed to return it to public ownership “vesting has become necessary”.

Cllr Enright added: “We have been trying to get this done voluntarily for the past 20 years and more and I am delighted that the Enterprise, Regeneration and Tourism Committee is backing the proposal to proceed with vesting.”

Cllr Curran said the local railway had been a “major success” since it opened and had managed to secured hundreds of thousands of pounds in funding from a variety of sources to provide an attraction which is second to none.

“The railway is one of the most popular attractions of its kind in Northern Ireland and has had ambitious expansion plans on the table for some time,” he continued.

“The local authority has put tourism at the top of its agenda and extending the railway, I believe, would be a major boost for the area. An extended railway would also be able to ferry punters to and from Downpatrick racecourse on race days.”

Cllr Curran said he hopes that the vesting process can be completed smoothly and relatively quickly with agreement between all the parties to allow the railway’s extension plan to proceed.