Letterkenny: Encyclopedia II - Letterkenny - Railway history

Letterkenny - Railway history

The town was, in times past, connected with the once extensive narrow gauge rail network of County Donegal. This provided connections to Derry (and through there to Dublin and Belfast), to Lifford and Strabane, to Gweedore and Burtonport, and to Carndonagh, north of Derry. The rail system was built in the late 19th century, with the last extensions opening in the 1900s. Some of these lines were never profitable, built using British government subsidies, described as an attempt to kill the Home Rule movement "with kindness". Only a couple of decades later, political events resulted in rail companies operating across two jurisdictions where there had previously been one. This had devastating effects on an already fragile economic situation, resulting eventually in the final closure of all parts of the rail system in the area by 1960. See History of rail transport in Ireland.

The railway station was converted to a bus station which today serves Bus Eireann. However, poor public transport in the region has led to the development of local privately-owned bus companies, which are often based in the surrounding Gaeltacht. The Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway company has continued to operate as a bus company, the Lough Swilly Bus company. These private companies often provide the best transport links in the area.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Railway history", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki