Western rail corridor set to reopen

A major section of a disused railway line in the West of Ireland is to be reopened, it emerged today.

The 185-kilometre Western Rail Corridor has been closed since 1976. But a report which will be presented to Transport Minister Martin Cullen this week is set to recommend the re-opening of the line from Ennis in County Clare to Claremorris in Mayo.

A senior Government source said the re-opening would be done in sequence, with the section from Ennis to Gort, Athenry and Tuam in Galway coming first, followed by the short section of track to Claremorris.

“Once that is built, the rest will follow,” he said.

The second section of the Western Rail corridor runs to Charlestown and Kiltimagh in Mayo and on to Collooney junction in Sligo.

The entire Western Rail Corridor remains in place but for the reopening, track, bridges, fencing, crossings and stations would have to be upgraded.

The cost of the Ennis to Claremorris line has been estimated at around €170m, with the bill for the entire Western Rail Corridor coming to €365m.

The working group on the Western Rail Corridor was set up by former Transport Minister Seamus Brennan in response to a sustained lobbying campaign by the West on Track group.

The group is chaired by Jurys Doyle Hotel chief executive Pat McCann and includes representatives from the Department of Transport, Iarnród Éireann, local authorities, and the Railway Procurement Agency.

A West on Track spokesman said the working group had done extensive research into the railway line.

“We are confident that when Mr McCann submits his report to the Government, it will make very positive recommendations about the restoration of the railway.”

Last month, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern told the Dáil he was in favour of reopening the Western Rail Corridor.

“The finances for it are already with the department and, from presentations we have received, I know it will be part of the 10-year rail plan. Therefore, the provision has already been made for it,” he said.

The West on Track spokesman said the working group report would provide the template for the reopening to begin.

Iarnród Éireann has estimated that it would take around two years to reopen the first section of the line.

In 2003, it reopened the railway from Limerick to Ennis. Nearly 60,000 passengers used the service last year.