‘Ripping up rail line for bicycle track cannot be justified’ says Sligo’s Mayor as he backs re-opening of railway to Galway

There can be no justification for ripping up the railway and replacing it with a bicycle track. I am supportive of greenways but it must be pointed out that there are enough alternative routes to build a greenway/bicycle track between Collooney and Charlestown without interfering with the existing rail infrastructure, the Mayor of Sligo, Cllr Declan Bree, said, when he addressed members of the Western Inter-County Railway Committee at a Mayoral Reception in Sligo City Hall.

Cllr Bree hosted the reception to mark the occasion of the Railway Committee holding its first meeting of 2024 in Sligo.

Welcoming the Chairman and members of the Committee to City Hall Cllr Bree said “I believe it is fitting that an important body like the Western Inter-County Railway Committee would hold its first meeting of the new year in this building, in the capital of the North West.

“We in Sligo are very much aware that the Western Inter-County Railway Committee, composed of elected representatives nominated by the local authorities in the West of Ireland, is committed to the re-opening of the Western Rail Corridor and the establishment of a full rail service between Limerick and Sligo via Mayo, Galway and Clare.

“Now more than ever before, more and more people are recognising that the development of strong transport infrastructure is critical to the future of this region

“The fact that the EU has downgraded the status of the West and North West region from ‘developed region’ to a ‘region in transition’ is reflective of the fact that our region is falling behind and not seeing the same levels of investment in infrastructure by central government as other areas of the country.

“According to the most recent statistics published by the European Union we learned that out of the 234 designated regions across the European Union, this region ranks at 218th for infrastructure.

“This places our region in the bottom 7 per cent, alongside some of the poorest regions in the E.U., in Latvia, Romania and Bulgaria.

“Therefore, in terms of ensuring balanced regional development the re-opening of the rail line from Sligo to Galway offers the greatest potential for economic and social improvements .

“In my capacity as a member of the Northern and Western Regional Assembly I recently had the opportunity of participating in a meeting with the Taoiseach and making the case for the re-opening of the Western Rail Corridor.

“As committee members will be aware the re-opening of the Sligo to Galway Western Railway line is included as a key objective in the North West Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy.

“The strategy includes the objective ‘to deliver the Athenry-Tuam-Claremorris-Sligo rail line to an appropriate level of service and to a standard capable of facilitating passenger and freight transport’.

“The re-opening of the rail service from Sligo to Galway will enable regional development in line with the National Planning Framework strategy, as a contributory driver of economic growth helping to create sufficient scale to allow the West to compete on an equal footing with Dublin and the East and it will significantly improve the linkage of towns and cities stretching along the Atlantic Economic Corridor from Limerick to Galway to Sligo.

“By allowing a sustainable commuting option, rural, village and small town residents along the route will have the option of living at home and working in the larger urban centres. This will certainly help rural regeneration and social inclusion.

“The recent proposal to reactivate the section of the rail corridor from Athenry to Claremorris as part of a strategic freight route is most welcome as is the Government decision to apply for EU funding for the initiative.

“And the members of Galway County Council and Mayo County Council are to be congratulated for bringing about this breakthrough.

“It is clear evidence that where there is the will, central government can be won over.

“However I was extremely disappointed to see the omission of any serious proposal for the final 47 mile section of the rail line linking Claremorris with Collooney.

“This, I believe, is due to the fact that there are mixed messages emanating from Sligo.

“Unfortunately, there are some elements who believe that ripping up railway infrastructure and replacing it with a bicycle track is the way forward.

“Sligo will need a lot more ambition than that if we want to be serious about re-opening the remaining section of the railway from Collooney to Claremorris.

“In my view there can be no justification for ripping up the railway and replacing it with a bicycle track.

“I am supportive of greenways but it must be pointed out that there are enough alternative routes to build a greenway/bicycle track between Collooney and Charlestown without interfering with the existing rail infrastructure.

“In saying that I warmly welcome the most recent comments made by Mr Jim Meade, the Chief Executive of Irish Rail, when he stated that he and Irish Rail certainly would support the ambition to keep the Claremorris to Collooney section of the corridor for rail traffic, and not for anything else.

“That view is shared by the Western Inter-County Railway Committee, it is shared by the Northern & Western Regional Assembly and it is shared by the vast majority of people in this community who support the reopening of the Western Rail Corridor.

“That message must be repeated and must go out loud and clear – we want to keep the Collooney to Claremorris section of the corridor for rail traffic, and not for anything else.

“All of us are aware that the rail corridor is a key piece of infrastructure for the West and will link the economies of three major centres, Sligo, Galway and Limerick

“The Planning Guidelines for this region have consistently and collectively called for the provision of inter-city passenger and freight services on the Western Rail Corridor between Limerick and Sligo.

“While the re-opening of the final stretch of the rail corridor is still under consideration at a national level we all know that Dublin’s growth has been allowed to spiral out of control while token gestures at balanced regional development has left our capital city bursting at the seams.

“If central government seriously wants to achieve balanced regional development, it needs to facilitate it happening by investing in our rail infrastructure, particularly in terms of re-opening the Western Rail Corridor.” the Mayor said.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive of Iarnród Éireann, Mr. Jim Meade, has told the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport that Iarnród Éireann supports keeping the railway from Collooney to Claremorris for rail traffic and ‘not for anything else’.

In a wide-ranging commentary he also indicated that the next phase of the rail corridor will require a lead-in period of two years for planning and preparation at an estimated cost of €7m to €12m and that it will then require a three year construction period.

Speaking to the Committee on Transport on Wednesday 24th January 2024 Mr. Meade said:

“We know it’s an ambition of our own Minister to reinstate it (the WRC) if he can. It’s called out in the Strategic Review.

“We have started doing some vegetation works on it recently to keep the line clean and open, some de-vegetation. But particularly for a freight corridor, the review is saying it’s very viable for a freight corridor and you would do it probably in stages from Athenry to Claremorris.

“Beyond Claremorris, we certainly would support the ambition to keep that for rail traffic, not for anything else, and in time if the decision is made to connect to Collooney, so be it.”

His comments were welcomed by Councillor Michael Connolly, Chair of the Western Inter-County Railway Committee.

Speaking at a meeting of the Committee in Sligo City Hall Councillor Connolly said: ‘I want to warmly welcome the comments by the Chief Executive of Iarnród Éireann at the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport yesterday, where he said that Iarnród Éireann would support the ambition to keep the railway from Claremorris to Collooney for rail traffic, and not for any other use.

“The 47 miles of existing railway from Claremorris to Collooney is an extremely valuable piece of state-owned public transport infrastructure, passing an international airport (IWAK) and connecting many towns, which would cost many hundreds of millions to acquire today. To build an equivalent line to the Mayo-Sligo section from scratch could potentially cost €15m/km or close to €1.5bn. It is therefore essential that the rail alignment is protected for future rail use.

“The likelihood that the Galway line is soon to reopen as far north as Claremorris offers an important opportunity for Sligo as it means that the Sligo-Galway line will then be more than 60% in operation. Mayo’s industries will then be able to use the WRC line for moving raw materials and finished products, saving time and money and reducing their carbon footprint.

“The same opportunity needs to be afforded to Sligo,” he concluded.

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