Absolutely agree that the Western Rail Corridor should be included. It would be a huge asset to the west and breathe new life into some of the towns on this line that have become rundown and derelict. Towns such as Tuam, Claremorris, Charlestown, Tubbercurry to name a few would greatly benefit. It would also be massive for tourism. Particularly for Sligo which I believe is one of the fastest growing towns in Ireland. It would greatly improve connectivity between urban centres of Limerick, Galway and Sligo. Also with the reopening of the railway from Limerick City to Foynes port, there is also huge potential for freight which would reduce presses on the road networks. Absolutely no need to wait for the All Island Rail Network Review because this section is not in the remit of the Stormont Government.
I’m not sure Athenry to Claremorris is quite in the spirit of what TEN-T was envisaged for but that’s no reason we shouldn’t be trying to open the line anyway, from a quick glance at Google Maps the alignment of the original line seems to be largely preserved. If we can get it funded by Europe then it does seem foolish not to do so while the option is available.
The only reason I could see to oppose it would be if receiving TEN-T funding for this would prevent us receiving funding for another line with greater utility like a line from Rosslare to Waterford and Cork which could provide freight and passenger usage, but if that were the case then we should fund Athenry-Claremorris ourselves.
Also it’s very frustrating for the All Island Rail Review to be delayed because Stormont won’t sit, it will be an important element of improving connectivity and sustainability in the country so should be acted upon quickly. Is Ryan’s hesitation to release it without Stormont a requirement of the Review or is it something he has self imposed as a gesture of goodwill cross border?
A colossal waste of money. Ireland is attracting multinationals who are supplying either software products, or high-value products which can be efficiently shipped by road and air. These multinationals (particularly in software) want to be located in clusters, and they people they want to attract to work in them want to work in cities.
Building heavy infrastructure like rail, which costs a fortune to build and run, is not economic, and won’t bring employment to the West of Ireland. We cannot compete for heavy industry, not with our cost of energy, our planning system, and our location on the edge of Europe.
3 comments
Absolutely agree that the Western Rail Corridor should be included. It would be a huge asset to the west and breathe new life into some of the towns on this line that have become rundown and derelict. Towns such as Tuam, Claremorris, Charlestown, Tubbercurry to name a few would greatly benefit. It would also be massive for tourism. Particularly for Sligo which I believe is one of the fastest growing towns in Ireland. It would greatly improve connectivity between urban centres of Limerick, Galway and Sligo. Also with the reopening of the railway from Limerick City to Foynes port, there is also huge potential for freight which would reduce presses on the road networks. Absolutely no need to wait for the All Island Rail Network Review because this section is not in the remit of the Stormont Government.
I’m not sure Athenry to Claremorris is quite in the spirit of what TEN-T was envisaged for but that’s no reason we shouldn’t be trying to open the line anyway, from a quick glance at Google Maps the alignment of the original line seems to be largely preserved. If we can get it funded by Europe then it does seem foolish not to do so while the option is available.
The only reason I could see to oppose it would be if receiving TEN-T funding for this would prevent us receiving funding for another line with greater utility like a line from Rosslare to Waterford and Cork which could provide freight and passenger usage, but if that were the case then we should fund Athenry-Claremorris ourselves.
Also it’s very frustrating for the All Island Rail Review to be delayed because Stormont won’t sit, it will be an important element of improving connectivity and sustainability in the country so should be acted upon quickly. Is Ryan’s hesitation to release it without Stormont a requirement of the Review or is it something he has self imposed as a gesture of goodwill cross border?
A colossal waste of money. Ireland is attracting multinationals who are supplying either software products, or high-value products which can be efficiently shipped by road and air. These multinationals (particularly in software) want to be located in clusters, and they people they want to attract to work in them want to work in cities.
Building heavy infrastructure like rail, which costs a fortune to build and run, is not economic, and won’t bring employment to the West of Ireland. We cannot compete for heavy industry, not with our cost of energy, our planning system, and our location on the edge of Europe.