00:00As this assembly returns from summer recess I want to look ahead with a
00:05simple but urgent message. What we have here isn't working. For too long the
00:13North West has been left behind when it comes to infrastructure and regional
00:16development. Nowhere is this clearer than in real. Despite decades of under
00:22investment the people of Derry have responded with ambition. In the last year
00:27alone we have almost had 1 million journeys made to and from the North
00:33West Regional Transport Hub. The second record-breaking year in a row. Lifting us
00:39from 17th to 7th busiest railway station in Northern Ireland in less than a
00:45decade. And this is the railway station that some people and some parties and
00:49in this institution wanted to close down. But let's be honest as remarkable as that
00:55growth is, it masks the deeper truth. Our rail system is still failing to meet the
01:01needs of our people. We have limited timetables, long journey times and no
01:07proper all-island connections. And the worst part is that a proposal from TransLink
01:13to upgrade the rail services in the North West has been sitting on the
01:17infrastructure ministers desk for far too long. Every time we ask for an update we
01:25get the same recycled answer. It feels like Groundhog Day and I ask the question
01:32almost every single month. This is now blatant discrimination against the
01:37North West. It must be sorted, not as a favour, not as an afterthought, but in the
01:43interests of regional balance and basic fairness. The evidence is clear, the demand
01:49is there and the people of the North West are ready. Campaigners such as Steve
01:54Bradley and Into the West Group have been tireless in making the case for this
01:58upgrade. Yet government is standing still while our community is crying out for
02:02change. It doesn't have to be this way. We can build something better, something new, a
02:08modern, green and connected transport system that finally gives the North West
02:12a fair share it has been denied for too long. And that vision must include greater
02:19real connectivity right across this island, linking our cities and communities
02:24in a way that supports growth, opportunity and sustainability for all. This has to be
02:31our ambition in the months ahead. The cost of delivering an equity of service to the
02:37people of the North West should be on the infrastructure ministers agenda and it
02:42should be delivered. Tinkering around the ages is not good enough.
02:47Delivering real progress needs to happen. Thank you.
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