SDLP East Derry MLA John Dallat has called for a renewed commitment to establish a regular rail service between Derry and Dublin during Assembly Questions to the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness on cross-border issues.

Mr Dallat also welcomed the commitment to upgrade two sections of the A5 road network.

He said: "The rail network was badly fractured at the time of partition and starved of investment, indeed ripped up in many areas by the old Unionist regime. There is now clearly a need to begin talking seriously about re-establishing a decent inter-city service to Dublin and in the short term this can be achieved by re-opening the Knockmore line from Antrim to Lisburn.

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"The time is long over-due for substantial investment in the all-island rail infrastructure. This has happened in the South but no significant investment has been made in the North to bring the Belfast-Dublin Enterprise Service to an acceptable intercity service and certainly the provision of a decent link between Derry and Dublin is long forgotten."

(CD)