Train 'Halt' For Belfast International

A price tag of over £35m and insufficient numbers of potential passengers has now all but ended a bid to have Belfast International Airport linked by its own railway halt.

Despite a call from EasyJet to develop such a link on foot of complaints about an alleged lack of transport links to Aldergrove and calls for the redevelopment of the disused Knockmore line - which runs about a mile away from the airport - the Department of Regional Development said the cost of developing the line was prohibitive given the number of passengers who use the airport.

"There are no plans at present to extend rail links to Belfast International airport," it said.

However, Easyjet's Tony Nicol said it was "absolutely ridiculous" that there were no plans to reopen the line, given how close it was.

"Transport access to Belfast International Airport is something of an embarrassment compared with airports in the rest of Europe,” he said.

"The people of Northern Ireland would benefit enormously if that link was up and running and people could get from all over Ireland, but particularly from the centre of Belfast straight through on the train."

Antrim SDLP MLA Thomas Burns is also pushing for the redevelopment of the rail line.

"We have a perfectly useable track, and a fortune is being spent on its maintenance. But there is no will to develop it," he said.

"A station at the airport, and the reopening of the mothballed Crumlin, Glenavy, Knockmore and Ballinderry halts would do so much to get traffic off our roads, reduce pollution and generate much-needed revenue for Translink."

However, the Government department statement made the issue clear: "A study of the likely costs of providing a rail service to the airport was carried out in 2006 and concluded that it would not be economically viable."

Translink carried out the study of the likely costs of providing a rail service to BIA, also serving customers from the widest possible base via a reopened Antrim to Knockmore line.

"The study concluded that this would necessitate a full relay and resignalling of the line at a cost of around £35 million," Translink said.

"On top of that a halt on the line at the perimeter of the air- port could be provided for an estimated £1m, plus land purchase costs."

(BMcC)