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Western Rail Corridor
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Irish Rail hopes to have Western Rail Corridor construction underway before 2030Irish Rail CEO has said that the company is looking ‘at the end of this decade’ for construction works to commence
Charlotte Davis
October 28 2025 05:00 PMThe long-awaited reopening of the Western Rail Corridor between Claremorris and Athenry could be delivered “in three years” if there were no funding constraints, according to Iarnród Éireann CEO Mary Considine.
Speaking at the latest meeting of the Joint Committee on Transport, Ms Considine told members that Irish Rail is looking “at the end of this decade to at least have construction well underway.”
Ms Considine informed the committee that early-stage work has begun and that the route and design feasibility are already being examined by a dedicated team. However, she acknowledged that the lack of a specific funding stream is an issue.
https://www.independent.ie/editorial/web/newsletter/qs/v3/mayo.html“There is identification of the route and the preliminary designs and feasibility works. There is already a team in our organisation looking at that,” she said, “There is not a specific pot of funding allocated to this project at the moment, so that is a constraint.”
Irish Rail has begun feasibility works using funding from the Department of Transport, but additional resources are needed to move to the detailed design stage of the development.
“We have started the feasibility works with some funding from the Department of Transport but we need funding for the next stage to do that detailed design. We are having those conversations,” she said.
https://flo.uri.sh/visualisation/25660484/embed?auto=1Ms Considine told the meeting that the next step will depend on the National Development Plan (NDP), where priority transport projects are expected to be outlined in the coming weeks.
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“It will go back to those priority projects that will be identified in the NDP. We hope to have sight of that in the coming month as well as information as to how they will be funded,” she said.
The Western Rail Corridor is a key regional recommendation of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review (AISRR), and is seen as a game-changer for regional connectivity in County Mayo and surrounding western counties.
Read More
- Reopening of the Western Rail Corridor is an ‘absolute priority’ for Irish Rail
- Ireland West Airport site earmarked for major development which would ‘open up the county’
The Claremorris to Athenry section would reconnect Mayo with Galway and Limerick, the AISRR describes the reopening as crucial for “freight and regional connectivity objectives in the West of Ireland.”
The possibility of reopening the Claremorris to Collooney section, in the long term, was also raised during the committee meeting.
If developed, this would create a continuous western rail connection from Sligo to Limerick
While this extension is not currently in the AISRR, Ms Considine said the opportunity remains open, and stated that early indications are positive.
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“It goes back to the point about the Western Rail Corridor. The initial feasibility and the initial soundings are looking very positive for that route, and the more there is demand for it, the more the extension to Collooney looks like it would be viable,” she said.
“Regarding the extension out to Collooney, the line is being preserved for future rail reuse. That is really important. The plan is a framework.”
Her comments also reaffirmed that the route will not be repurposed for a greenway, a subject that has been debated in previous years.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
Related topics
- Charlotte Davis
- Iarnród Éireann - Irish Rail
- National Development Plan
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"Four councillors from the Claremorris-Swinford Municipal District (MD) were in Galway for the announcement by Minister Canney that the WRC will be in the National Development Plan, funding is available, and it will start in the next 18 months."
This is great news, if it's true.
However, shouldn't the re-doubling of the lines from Galway to Athenry and Portarlington to Athlone happen first?
Also, I can't see this project on IE's list?
Will this project require a RO?
If not, will it require PP?
Given that it has taken seven years to build a 820m passing loop at Oranmore station, I'm surprised that this project can move so fast.
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