Closure of Antrim-Knockmore railway is criticised

Regional Development Minister, Peter Robinson has been criticised over his decision to discontinue the rail service between Antrim and Knockmore.

The Minister said he came to the decision because his department could not continue to fund the line within its current funding allocation. However, Mr Robinson stressed that while he was prepared to propose a discontinuance of services, under statutory procedure any decision to discontinue rail services on the Antrim-Knockmore line would require the approval of the Assembly.

His decision was criticised by SDLP and MLA members Patricia Lewsley and Donovan McClelland. SDLP MLA member for Lagan Valley, Patricia Lewsley said she was very disappointed by the decision, she added: "Lisburn area has the highest expansion in population and new housing developments in Northern Ireland. I believe there is a real case for the service to be maintained to alleviate the increasing congestion on the roads."

Donovan McClelland added: "This is an extremely unfortunate decision. The SDLP have pressed the Minister on the need to retain the service over the past number of years.

"We have serious concerns about the impact of the closure of this service on road traffic in the area and on schoolchildren who use the service to travel to and from school. We remain deeply concerned about this matter."

Mr Robinson, however, said it was important to stress that discontinuing the service did not mean the abandonment of the line. He said the line would be mothballed with a view to its later reinstatement as part of a Belfast-Antrim-Lisburn-Belfast circle line.

The Minister also said that a review of the line’s future potential will be undertaken every five years and a full bus substitution programme will be provided to cover the services previously provided by the rail service.

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