Reopening of the Western Rail Corridor is an ‘absolute priority’ for Irish Rail
The chairman of Irish Rail has said that the extension of the Western Rail Corridor is an ‘absolute priority’ for the company.
Speaking on the Pat Kenny show on Newstalk yesterday, Steve Murphy responded to a question about the potential of a greenway along the railway line.
A listener of Newstalk asked if Steve would confirm that there will be nothing on the line from Claremorris to Sligo so that a greenway could be put there.
In response, Steve said: “The extension of the Western Rail Corridor as a railway is absolutely our priority. We think it's a crucial build on the success of the existing Western Rail Corridor that I remember working on 20 years ago.”
The Western Rail Corridor is a disused railway line that connects Limerick, Galway and Sligo. The route runs through Claremorris. If reopened, it would provide a link from Mayo to Sligo and Mayo to Galway.
In the All Ireland Strategic Review, the Department of Transport recommended that the railway between Claremorris and Athenry should be reinstated. The reopening of the route was included in the 2007-2013 National Development Plan, however, due to the financial crash in 2008, only the section between Ennis and Athenry was completed.
The plan recommended that the Western Rail Corridor be reinstated as it would help to support freight and regional connectivity in the west of Ireland.
Mayo TD Keira Keogh made a statement last month calling for the Western Rail Corridor to be reopened. The Fine Gael representative said the route must be included in the National Development Plan (NDP), when the full list of projects is published as part of the autumn budget.
“The Western Rail Corridor would be a game changer. When reopened as a functioning Irish Rail line, it would drastically improve transport connectivity throughout the West of Ireland, from Sligo all the way down to Limerick. It would be a lifeline for regional development, and it would restore a vital link between Mayo and Galway, offering new economic, tourism and commuter opportunities,” stated Deputy Keogh.
€22b has been announced for transport projects as part of the NDP. Currently, the only project specifically mentioned is Dublin’s MetroLink.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.