Infrastructure Minister John O'Dowd made the 90-minute journey to Enniskillen by car yesterday (Wednesday) to deliver the news that reviving Fermanagh's rail network was "poor value for money" and will not happen.

He cited other factors, including a lack of demand, low population, and weak employment, as reasons why a return to rail isn't viable in the county.

The Minister was challenged by The Impartial Reporter about Fermanagh being "forgotten about" by a government-led report, which has prompted a community-led campaign.

"I don't accept that. I don't accept that at all," Minister O'Dowd said.

"The report did look at Fermanagh in terms of rail connectivity, and I asked them to go back and look at it again.

"They have come back and said that at this stage, rail connectivity doesn't work."

The Minister asserted that his decision to travel to Enniskillen was to allay "disappointment" about the review locally.

"I want to send out a clear message that this is a chapter in the book, not the end of the story," Minister O'Dowd said, referencing a stipulation that rail in Fermanagh will be revisited in ten years' time.

The Minister added that the All-Ireland Rail Review recommended "connectivity in other ways through public transport" locally, including through an "integrated bus link".

"I'm not trying to duck or avoid the issue," he added. "It's also important that we don't send out the wrong message.

"Fermanagh is open for business, and there is a plan in place to connect Fermanagh properly to the public transport network."

The Minister was asked if these bus connections would be sufficient to ensure Fermanagh "realises the economic benefits" that will be experienced in other counties that have been included in the review.

"Look, it's my job as Minister to make sure they are," he responded. "I could have stood in Belfast. I could have stood in Derry. I could have stood in my own constituency, where a new rail has been proposed.

"But I chose to come here today, as a commitment to the people of Fermanagh, so they won't be forgotten about."

The review also referenced the fact that non-commuting trips, such as leisure and tourism, account for around half of all rail journeys in Ireland.

Minister O'Dowd was asked if Enniskillen, as a tourist town, deserved to have a railway.

"A group of experts have come back to me with their own report and have said that at this stage in time, it's not economically justified to build a rail link to Fermanagh or Enniskillen," he said. "It would cost around £400m, and I have to be responsible for public monies. That recommendation is in the report."

He added: "However, as Fermanagh and Enniskillen continue to grow in terms of road and public transport, I have no doubt that at some stage, a Minister will be able to link Fermanagh, via rail, to other destinations."

The review stated that 32 per cent of responses to the rail review referenced the absence of proposals to extend rail services to Enniskillen in Fermanagh.

The Minister was asked if the clear opinion of Fermanagh people "had been ignored".

"No. I know myself, in terms of the consultation, how important this issue is for the people of Fermanagh," Minister O'Dowd said.

"They haven't been ignored. Their voices have been heard loud and clear.

"But we have to assure ourselves that when making an investment of such magnitude, it is value for public money, and that there will be the proper return.

"At this stage, the answer is no."