Numbers using re-opened western rail link still low

PASSENGER numbers using the first phase of the €106 million Western Rail Corridor (WRC) are still quite low.

A Freedom of Information Act document shows that customers using the Ennis-Athenry route halved in its first 12 months.

The line — which connects Limerick to Galway — was re-opened at the end of March last year after years of lobbying from groups in the west. However, figures confirm the number of passengers in April of this year only reached 2,800, compared to 7,000 for the corresponding period in 2010.