Western Rail Corridor

Any word or mutterings about the reopening of the Athenry - Claremorris line…? I heard word a short while ago that it would qualify for TEN-T funding which would be very useful and I believe that timings on the line could be made very competitive for accessing Galway for people from Tuam and Mayo.

The line would also not only have big potential use and validity as a passenger line but the ability to use it to reroute the Westport/Ballina - Waterford timber and XPO Liner off of the the heavily over-used and capacity-stricken Athlone - Portarlington section and down the much lesser used WRC lines, with a reversal in the Roxborough Road sidings in Limerick and possible passings in Gort, Ennis, Limerick, Limerick Jnct and Clonmel, adds further merit to the case. This will really free up paths between Portarlington and Athlone for extra passenger services to Westport and Galway as there are almost daily return workings of these freight services on this line that restrict passenger capacity and I firmly think that this would be a real significant benefit of the line’s reopening.

A station would only really need to be built at Tuam (and it’s the only place I can see them building one…) and maybe at a stretch, Ballindine, with a passing loop at Tuam, so costs would not be very high in terms of the built infrastructure outside of just track relaying and resignalling. I do believe that this project however should be done in tandem with the Galway - Athenry doubling or at the very least, the passing loop at Oranmore to allow for the extra services from Tuam that would be using that line in the peak.

I really think there is a large case to be made for the reopening of phases 2 and 3 of the WRC, for both passengers and freight and hopefully if the TEN- T funding is approved, it can be made happen pretty lively! Galway Ceannt is a prime prime asset of a train station, being the closest train station to a city centre in the entire country by a long way, and with a large bus station for urban and regional onward bus travel right outside the door, whether or not the journey is ‘faster’ than the car from Tuam and Mayo, many people will chose the convenience over travel time, and besides, the train will very likely beat town centre - town centre road travel in the morning and evening peaks due to the awful traffic in Galway!

On a final note, is the route of the line still suitable and appropriate for competitive passenger service? And if not is it worth it price and hassle-wise to try and realign some of the route in certain places? I’m fairly sure it’s actually a pretty straight alignment in most places, unlike every other phase of the WRC but just wondering if some windy parts would be worth realigning…

Reopening of Crusheen rail station has estimated market of 1,700 commuters & economic value of €25m - Clare Echo

Were they ever replaced?

Yes. There was a complete traverse by inspection car in 2004 I believe.

Here's a better account of that whole situation

They'll want more then 2 independents so. I think WRC is realistic this time, particularly if it is part funded by EU.

As I understand it FF & FG are united behind it in the region and that its accepted to be more realistic than the road currently.

They will need a third wheel though.

If that's to be independents then I can see this going ahead, white elephant or not.

It's shovel ready (ish) and can easily be started within a couple of years.

It's relatively cheap and won't do FFG any harm either.

That's not the point here though.

A shiny new railway to Claremorris is cheap and quick to deliver.

It's something tangible for the independents in the area to point to and say ye actually got something by voting for me.

The locals will think their man is great whereas in reality his influence could have delivered something more useful.

Contrast that to Verona Murphy in Wexford and she's talking about improving the road and railway to Dublin as 10000 people leave the county every day. She's not on about opening Wexford to Waterford.

Depends on how gullible the Independent looking for it as their sweeties to stay quiet* is - if they'll take another report and a few surveys; they'll willingly fund those.

*literally, to some extent - Independents officially supporting the Government won't be in any technical group and will have massively limited speaking rights. If they aren't a Minister you might literally not hear from them for months in the Dáil!

€100m is not nothing. It requires full Cabinet sign off, not something a Minister can hand over on their own. It will also have to go through the full PSC process which has various steps which have to be fulfilled. As yet, WRC isn't even at step 1 and any assessments which have been undertaken have found no case to be made for reopening.

After the shenanigans with the Foynes line, you can be sure there will be serious scrutiny of other similar projects.

There is nothing cheap or quick about this.

That is not how government spending or project delivery works.

You clearly don't understand that.

The irony of the Indo attacking the DART in 1979 is off set by the greater irony of the WRC folks comparing the Tuam to Collooney light railway to the Dublin coastal commuter route which was already bursting at the seams with passengers even with appaling rolling stock by the time that gargle-saturated editorial was written.

Would Tuam in be more possible ?