A Belfast Telegraph campaign to save Ulster’s railways is gathering momentum.

It was launched three weeks ago after the Government responded to a damning report on safety by questioning the very viability of a rail network for Northern Ireland.

A series of hard-hitting reports followed – each with a Save Our Railways logo – detailing the row sparked by the announcement and the likely effects of a shutdown on the province.

The Telegraph revealed last month that a report on Northern Ireland’s railways said £183m was needed to “preserve essential safety levels”. The Northern Ireland office said the cash was not available and questioned the network’s future.

“Among its worst-case scenarios is closing large sections of the systems, and hinting the Belfast to Dublin line could be the only survivor,” said news editor Paul Connolly.

“We were outraged. The strategy is totally at odds with the Government’s whole strategy in the UK, to get people out of their cars and find alternative means of transport.

“Our rail network is a disaster – ancient trains, old signals, decrepit tracks, etc. It’s not the fault of the operators, Translink – the Government has starved them of funds and won’t even let them invest money they already have in the bank.”

Any reduction in rail services would put more pressure on Ulster’s seriously congested road network and ageing bus fleet. It would also hit the large number of families who do not have a car and rely on public transport in one of the poorest regions of the UK.

Among the politicians, transport experts and consumer groups, a group of schoolgirls fuelled the Telegraph campaign by telling how important the rail service was to them.

Sixteen-year-old Meghan Stuart wrote to the paper and posed with friends for a picture as she explained how failings in the present system were affecting their preparations for GCSE exams in May.

“On numerous occasions, I have arrived extremely late to school due to cancellations or the trains being delayed,” Meghan said. “Recently, I missed important chemistry classes in which I had assessments to be completed.”

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