Sligo Councillors back reopening of Collooney to Claremorris railway as Greenway returns to agenda

By Philip Rooney, The Sligo Champion

The ongoing issue of the reopening of the Sligo to Galway rail line between Claremorris and Collooney railway was visited once again at Monday’s monthly meeting of Sligo County Council with cross-party support for the railway reopening as two separate motions were agreed by councillors.

The motions before the meeting from Cllr Thomas Healy and Cllr Declan Bree addressed the long running issue of the Western Rail Corridor with both motions seeking the reopening of the rail line that would connect Sligo and Galway.

The motions follow on from a decision taken by Sligo County Council last month to suspend any further work on the proposed greenway project between Collooney and Bellaghy, which was planned to be housed on the disused railway line.

That decision was taken after Iarnród Eireann advised that it could not support the use of the disused railway for the greenway.

The local authority explored the option of the greenway being situated alongside the railway as it “undertook a high-level review.”

That review concluded that “While technically feasible, the alongside option introduces significant additional constraints, costs, and risks.”

Cllr Bree’s motion focused primarily on the reopening of the rail corridor but did include mention of the greenway with his motion calling for the local authority to lift the suspension on works associated with the greenway,

“To allow the consultants to bring forward firm proposals for the development of the greenway.”

Speaking to his motion, Cllr Bree said: “There has been a huge welcome for the news that preliminary work has commenced on the reopening of the Western Rail Corridor linking Galway with Claremorris in Mayo and I believe this Council should add its voice in welcoming this phase of the reopening of the Western Rail Corridor.

“The only section of the rail corridor that now remains to be opened is the 47 mile section linking Collooney and Sligo with Claremorris.

“Iarnród Éireann has stated that the railway from Claremorris to Sligo is to be kept for future rail use only as set out in Regional Policy Objective 6.13b of the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy with a view to its future development as a freight and passenger railway connecting Sligo to Galway and serving Ireland West Airport.

“Indeed, just over a year ago the members of this Council included the following Transport objective in the Sligo County Development Plan: ‘to deliver the Athenry-Claremorris-Sligo rail corridor to an appropriate level of service and to a standard capable of facilitating passenger and freight transport, this Council acknowledges the publication of the rail review and confirms its support for the provision of a greenway linking Collooney with Bellaghy that is constructed a safe distance from the Rail Corridor.”

“Last week, the government announced that tax revenues for 2025 had increased by 8.9 percent on the previous year. That is a sum of €8.6 billion extra available to the government.

“The total cost of the works required for the reopening of the Western Rail Corridor from Claremorris to Collooney and Sligo, which includes a contingency fund of 20 percent, is €412 million.

“This amounts to €5.5million per kilometre. In comparison, the cost of a single kilometre of the proposed new Dublin Metro is approximately €460 million.

“I feel this must be emphasised - the cost of developing just one kilometre of the Dublin metro would cover the total cost of the reopening of the entire Western Rail Corridor, from Sligo to Galway.

“Given the positive news that there has been an extra €8.6 billion income for the state I feel we should be making our voice heard in seeking our fair share of that funding.

“Some time back the Taoiseach told the Dáil that he believes that ‘rail will play a very important part in underpinning economic development in the west’.

“Responding to questions about the necessity for developing the Atlantic Economic Corridor, the Taoiseach said that offshore wind and infrastructure developments such as the Western Rail Corridor would contribute to rebalancing economic development on the western seaboard.

“The Taoiseach also said it was his view that rail will play a very important part in underpinning economic development in the west in the future and he particularly referred to the need to achieve the transformational shift required in rebalancing the economy of the island.

“And it is very clear that the re-opening of the Western Rail Corridor from Sligo to Galway will enable regional development in line with the National Planning Framework strategy, as a contributory driver of economic growth helping to create sufficient scale to allow the West to compete on an equal footing with Dublin and the East and it will significantly improve the linkage of towns and cities along the Atlantic Economic Corridor.

“The rail corridor is a key piece of infrastructure for the West and will link the economies of three major centres, Sligo, Galway and Limerick.

“By allowing a sustainable commuting option, rural, village and small town residents along the route will have the option of living at home and working in the larger urban centres. It will provide a similar option for many students. This will certainly help rural regeneration and social inclusion.

“The Northern & Western Regional Assembly, which is representative of all the local authorities of this region has identified the reopening of the Galway to Sligo Western Rail Corridor as one of the regions key infrastructure projects.

“Likewise, the education sector and particularly our universities and third level colleges want to see the corridor reopened at the soonest possible time.

“The sooner Sligo is connected to its hinterland, the more attractive it will be as a third level destination of choice for students from across the region.

“In addition, the re-opening of the rail corridor will allow those seeking medical treatment in hospitals and centres of excellence in Galway to travel in the comfort they need and deserve.

“The Board of Ireland West Airport Knock said the development of the Western Rail Corridor onwards from Sligo to Claremorris with sustainable connectivity from Charlestown to the Airport would significantly contribute to the future sustainable development of ground transportation to and from Ireland West Airport.

“IDA client companies, the Chamber of Commerce, manufacturers, small and medium sized enterprises and those involved in the agricultural and food production sector, in Sligo and Mayo are all seeking the reopening of the Western Rail Corridor.

“If those in Government seriously want to address the years of neglect of Sligo and the region, and if they genuinely want to achieve balanced regional development, they need to facilitate it happening by investing in our rail corridor.

Emphasising the need for the railway to be reopened Cllr Healy said, “this is our opportunity to make history.”

In his motion Cllr Thomas Healy called on “Sligo County Council to support the opening of the western rail corridor from Sligo to Claremorris and to seek the support of TDs and stakeholders from this region.

“The reinstatement of the Western Rail Corridor is vital both for economic and social development of the west and north west and for environmental safety.”

Speaking in support of his motion Cllr Healy said, “it is important we have a clear message, we want to see the railway reopened from Claremorris to Collooney.”

Cllr Healy added, “This is our opportunity to make history. Now is the time we have to make sure there is one voice coming from here.”

Both motions were agreed unanimously by the elected representatives.

Article Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme