 Western Development Commission figures show strong demand for rail services to continue to Tuam and Claremorris.
The Western Development Commission (WDC) has described this month’s new rail service connecting Galway and Limerick as an important step towards balanced regional development. The new service, serving Limerick, Sixmilebridge, Ennis, Gort, Ardrahan, Craughwell, Athenry and Galway will help develop and promote economic development. It will also be a welcome boost to the tourism sector for towns along the route and the surrounding areas following a very difficult year for tourism in 2009. Speaking about the new service Lisa McAllister Chief Executive at the WDC said; “The WDC would like to congratulate Iarnród Éireann and the many stakeholders who have worked tirelessly to reinstate the line and introduce the new services. The new route follows the rebuilding of the Ennis to Athenry line after a gap of over 30 years since the last scheduled services. This type of infrastructural development is exactly what the National Spatial Strategy (NSS) envisaged in terms of sustainable public transport linking key centres so that they can further develop economically.” Deirdre Frost, Policy Analyst at the WDC said: “We welcome this new service and hope that the next phase from Athenry to Tuam and on to Claremorris will not be mothballed despite the current economic difficulties. The 2009 WDC report, ‘Travel to Work and Labour Catchments in the Western Region’, identified important transport patterns which show strong demand for rail services north of Galway city. This supports the case for the Western Rail Corridor (WRC) to be continued on to Tuam and Claremorris as soon as possible, as the report found that the number of people commuting to Galway city from the north of the county, for example from the Tuam labour catchment, is actually greater than the number commuting to Galway city from the south; the Gort labour catchment. This shows that there will be significant demand for public transport services into the city from the north of the county and, in our opinion, strengthens the case for the next stage of the Western Rail Corridor from Athenry to Tuam and on to Claremorris considerably.” The Galway – Limerick service will commence with five services each way daily (Monday to Saturday), and four services each way on Sundays. The WDC believes that the new service will see strong passenger take-up that will reduce many car based journeys. “We are also confident that Iarnród Éireann will promote both commuter and intercity services and we would hope that new rolling stock will be ordered to serve the intercity services on the line. The new service opens up the rail network in the West and South of the country, linking Galway and Limerick, and towns along the route, with Cork and Waterford as well as Mallow, Tralee and Killarney,” Ms Frost added, The new service commenced services to the public on Tuesday 30th March. On rail freight, the WDC believes that the expansion of rail freight services from Mayo, with new services introduced in 2009 from Ballina, also strengthens the case for the extension of the WRC northwards to Tuam and Claremorris and onwards to Sligo. “We believe that this will open up new rail freight routes southwards via Ennis and Limerick to ports in Waterford and Rosslare and will enable freight users to avoid the increasingly congested rail network around Dublin,” Ms Frost concluded.
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