Belfast Lord Mayor welcomes Rail 21

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 21st Jul 2004

Belfast Lord Mayor, Tom Ekin, welcomed a delegation from the Rail 21 campaign group at Belfast Central Station, who presented him with a copy of its response to the Railway Review Group report on the future of the rail network in Northern Ireland.

Lord Mayor Ekin said:

"As an Alliance councillor for Belfast, I know how important rail services are for the vitality and economic well-being of our capital city. Commuters, shoppers and tourists make their way from far and wide.

"Alliance has always been committed to quality public transport. We have long supported the maintenance and improvement of our rail network.

"Considering the growth in the levels of commuting, and the need to increase our attraction to tourism, it makes no sense to talk about closing whole sections of our rail network. If anything, we should be discussing its development and expansion.

"I am pleased to receive a copy of Rail 21's submission. It will help inform the Alliance Party's response to this most significant issue of our infrastructure. Alliance remains committed to saving our railways."