Interested in promoting joined-up thinking that prioritises non-car modes of transport? Then get involved with specific campaigns and organisations around the infrastructure NI needs to take pressure of our roads, pollutants out of our lungs and CO2 out of our atmosphere.
This website could also use a hand – providing content (especially photographs), keeping the news and projects pages up to date, and improving the design in general. If you’d like to help with that, please get in touch.
Active Travel
Sustrans NI
Sustrans is a UK organisation that works in NI to ensure the Assembly and other authorities take action enabling more people to walk, wheel and cycle to help reduce car dependency. They also work in partnership with cities to report on progress towards making walking and cycling an attractive and everyday means of travel.
Northern Ireland Greenways
Northern Ireland Greenways have performed a huge amount of research on where pathways exist to create a traffic-free network to get around. In case you think greenways pose a threat to railways reopenings, check out our FAQ on that topic here.
Rail Reopenings
FundTheNINE
FundTheNINE was formed in August of 2022 and in the last year and a half has become the second fastest growing transport campaign on the Island of Ireland.
FundTheNINE takes heavy inspiration from Dublin-based independant public transport researcher, Brian Guckian.
In 2007, Brian laid out a full plan to the Northern Ireland Executive to rebuild Northern Ireland’s lost railway network.
The ‘Northern Ireland Network Enhancement’ (pictured) was a fully fledged revitilisation, but despite its great ambition, the proposal fell on deaf ears.
Now, the All Island Rail Review has proven that Brian was a man of vision and ahead of the curve as the review has almost fully replicated the very proposals he made over 15 years ago.
Brian passed away in October of 2015, but today, FundTheNINE wishes to bring his forward thinking proposal into reality.
Circle Line
Once the Knockmore Line is reopened, a radial route around the Belfast commuter belt would be possible.
‘Belfast Circle Line’ is a campaign that sprung up in late 2021 and has become the fastest growing (and most followed) railway campaign on the Island of Ireland.
The suggestion is to create a circular metro style rail system, allowing for trains every 15 minutes in both directions, a heap of new stations and the first rail connection to an International Airport ever on the Island of Ireland.
On top of that, ‘phase 2’ and ‘phase 3’ of the proposal would see a spur to Ballyclare & a new station at Belfast City Airport brought into the mix, further increasing the ridership and connectivity of the proposed service.
Into the West
Into the West is the oldest still-standing rail campaign on the Island of Ireland.
Originally, the campaign was set up at the turn of the millennia as the government at the time wanted to enact a long forgotten clause of the 1960’s Benson Report and close all railway lines north of Ballymena. Into the West inevitably won in their battle alongside Translink, and since then have had more and more ‘wins’ for the Northern Irish railway network. Most notably, they were the driving force behind the reopening of the Waterside Railway Station in Derry~Londonderry which was given the name the ‘North-West Transport Hub’.
Today, Into the West are campaigning for the reinstatement of passenger rail services between Portadown & Derry~Londonderry via the former ‘Derry Road’ rail line between the two population centres.
Additionally, they are also campaigning for a new rail spur to Letterkenny, a nother rail spur to Limavady, a new railway station at Strathfoyle and another railway station at the City of Derry Airport.
Into the West have also been supporters of the proposal to revive the ‘Western Rail Corridor’ which could see Limerick, Galway, Sligo and Derry~Londonderry all connected via passenger rail services.
Portadown and Armagh Railway Society
The Portadown and Armagh Railway Society have been long campaigning for the reinstatement of passenger rail services between Portadown and Armagh City.
Combined with the proposal to reintegrate passenger rail services between Portadown and Derry~Londonderry & the All Island Rail Review’s suggestion to make Portadown a railfreight cargo hub, Portadown would become the second most important railway interchange in Northern Ireland after Belfast.