Scottish-Irish rail link

Regarding suggestions of a bridge or tunnel between Scotland and Northern Ireland: there exists a plan for this infrastructure, as I planned this out for Richard Needham MP (the then-Minister in the Northern Ireland Office) in the 1980s. The plan was as follows:

As the railway track gauge differs in Ireland, we planned the access from the West Coast Main Line at Dumfries in standard gauge, then over a reopened Partway line to Stranraer. The access to the tunnel was partly over the closed line to the west side of the peninsula,

with a curved tunnel avoiding the very deep channel in the middle of the sea landing in Northern Ireland at Larne.

Once into Northern Ireland, a new line would have been built next to the existing broad gauge line in standard gauge as far as Antrim, then over the infrastructure of the mothballed line south past the airport converted to standard gauge, and a standard gauge line into the Belfast City Centre Terminus.

It was also planned to have a standard gauge Airport to Belfast service using this infrastructure.

Standard gauge large loading gauge wagons were planned for road vehicle carrying in the tunnel itself - as with the Channel Tunnel.

The tunnel itself would have been single track with a service tunnel, to save costs. Gauge changing machines would have been provided in Belfast to allow the use of Tango-type trains to provide an onward service to Dublin.

This concept would also work for a bridge if there were railway tracks provided.

There is an alternative possibility where the Portway railway line is reopened, then a road coach service over the bridge connecting with the railway service at Stanraer and also connecting with the broad gauge service at Larne to Belfast. Mike Barrett, Taunton