Crossword Genius

Train reaching Londonderry empty? Absolutely (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

expressly

'absolutely' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'train reaching londonderry empty?' is the wordplay.
'train' becomes 'express' (express train is a kind of train**).
'reaching' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'empty?' suggests removing the centre (I've seen 'empty' mean this).
'londonderry' with its middle removed is 'ly'.
'express'+'ly'='EXPRESSLY'

(Other definitions for expressly that I've seen before include "specifically" , "Explicitly" , "definitely" , "With specific intentions" , "unmistakably" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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