3. Mr Honeyford asked the Minister for Infrastructure to outline any plans to commission a business case for the reopening of the Knockmore railway line. (AQO 3674/22-27)

Translink is working closely with my Department to examine the options for reopening the Antrim to Knockmore railway line. A business case is already in development and will be submitted to my Department by Translink later this year. As the Member will have heard me say before, ensuring airport connectivity for communities and businesses is vital to the economy and is an important step towards the delivery of the all-island strategic rail review recommendations. I have met representatives of both Belfast City Airport and Belfast International Airport, so I know how keen they are to see rail links in the future, because they will be hugely important for their future plans and for connecting our communities and people right across the North.

Thank you, Minister, for your response. The Knockmore line is already there. It links communities in Ballinderry, Glenavy and Crumlin and, as you say, connects to the airport, which is really important and is part of that all-island review. Is there a timeline in the business case for that work coming forward? What will the next stage be in seeing its objective realised?

It is too early to give precise dates on the reopening of the Knockmore line. It is recognised as a major project in the rail reprioritisation strategy and work will not begin on it until after 2030. Apologies, that is for work on the new line. The historic track on the line and the signalling need to be upgraded to modern standards, as the Member will know. That represents a major investment. Before work begins, it is important that the right solutions are identified. The Member will agree that we have one chance to get that right. It is important that we do so and that I can be confident that we get value for money on that work.

The delivery timeline for the Knockmore line will, like all projects, be subject to the availability of funding, approval of the necessary business cases and securing statutory consent. As we get more information on more concrete timelines, I will be happy to share it with the Member and keep in contact with him. I know how important it is to him and to his constituents, and, more widely, it will serve the needs of the people of the North.

Minister, you will be aware that the reopening of the Knockmore to Antrim line is effectively a cross-party priority, supported by all elected representatives in the Constituency. It also commands a significant interest from an economic, commercial, business and community standpoint in South Antrim. Your news today is positive and helpful. However, can you specifically tell us what progress has been made on the proposed new halts from Knockmore to Antrim?

I thank the Member for his comments. It is all very positive. We have set out very clearly, particularly through the announcement of the prioritisation strategy, what we want to do. It is incumbent on me and everybody involved to continue to work to ensure that that is delivered. The Department continues to work with Translink to look at the potential new halts at Crumlin, Glenavy and Belfast International Airport as part of that Knockmore to Antrim route. The Department is progressing the necessary technical modelling and the development of a business case to assess options for improving services along that corridor. That work in respect of the halts is scheduled for completion later this year, and its findings will inform any future decisions on the viability of new halts and how we can fully realise those in the time ahead.

As I said in response to the previous question, progress on reopening the line is subject to the completion of those business cases, the wider pieces of work, budget availability and securing the required consents. We still have some way to go to get through all of that, but work continues. We are working very closely with Translink, and I hope that we can soon make Members aware of what progress has been made and what we can expect in the near future.

My question stays on the theme of public transport. The Translink chief executive recently gave evidence to the Infrastructure Committee and warned of very serious consequences for future service delivery. Minister, how do you justify potentially significant service cuts that will, ultimately, under your watch, hit our most vulnerable the hardest?

As the Member will know, there has been no detail about what Translink has been looking at. I have been engaging with Translink representatives. I met the chair of the board just last week, and I will have a meeting with Translink's wider board next week. The Member referred to information that the chief executive provided at Committee and alludes to the fare freeze that I announced a number of weeks ago. I took that decision in the context of the continuing cost-of-living crisis, as households face significant and rising costs that are beyond the control of us all and as we deal with the rising fuel crisis and things like that. For me, that was about protecting the public and people who are already struggling. It was about giving them some certainty and the option to use public transport instead of having to fill up their car to get to and from work, medical appointments or wherever they may need to go, so that they know that they have a lower-cost option that can help them to keep their head above water in these uncertain and challenging times.

We continue to work with Translink, because I do not want to see any service cuts. In fact, I want us to be able to enhance services. We have to be honest with the public, however, and say that those comments on the current assessment of what might be needed in the future are a result not of a fare freeze but of long-term underinvestment in the Executive's Budget and my budget for the Department for Infrastructure and of our inability to fully fund the needs of Translink and all our arm's-length bodies (ALBs). We have to put it in that context, but I continue to work hard with Translink to ensure that we avoid any potential service cuts. While those are operational decisions for Translink, when it comes to anything that it feels that it has to do, we will ensure that it protects its most vulnerable users, particularly those in rural communities, who, for many reasons, are more reliant on public transport.

Minister, it is well past your two minutes.

Will the Minister provide an update on the business case for the reopening of the Armagh to Portadown rail line and outline when she plans to have trains departing from Armagh station back on track?

Similar to what I said in response to a previous question, that project was identified in the prioritisation strategy, as the Member will know. I was very pleased to include it, because I recognise the importance of that line. Officials are working closely with Translink to progress those business cases. Everything is subject to budget availability, as the Member will also know. I have been working very closely with my counterparts in the South. I met Minister Darragh O'Brien again last week at the Transport Ireland conference. There is a huge feeling of positivity and ambition across our island about what the future holds for rail. I am very keen for us to be a key part of that and that we see the full realisation of what has been set out in the all-island strategic rail review and the most recent prioritisation strategy.