7 days ago
Government blunder: Northern Irish train appears on cover of National Development Plan
The cover of the Government's new National Development Plan includes a picture of a Northern Ireland Railways train, rather than an Iarnród Éireann model.
Featured on the cover of the updated plan is a Northern Ireland Railways Class 3000, typically used on services around Derry.
The train is occasionally used on cross-border services between Belfast and Dublin. Currently, three train fleets service this route, including Iarnród Éireann's intercity model and the jointly owned Enterprise service.
However, the trains in the image are owned by Northern Ireland Railways, not Irish Rail.
Featured on the cover of the updated plan is a Northern Ireland Railways Class 3000, typically used on services around Derry.
Green Party transport spokesperson Feljin Jose questioned whether the image signalled a possible government plan to take over Northern Ireland Railways.
'The picture at the front is a Northern Irish train. I wouldn't mind if they had committed to any improvements for the cross-border Enterprise service but there's nothing,' Mr Jose said.
'Is the government buying Northern Ireland Railways? It's the only train reference in this document aside from repeated references to MetroLink designed to distract from the lack of detail.'
The Government is expected to outline which projects will be prioritised under the NDP funding closer to the budget.
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