New motorway 'spells end of Western Rail Corridor extension'

A SPOKESMAN for the Western Rail Trail Campaign – a community-based group campaigning to preserve the alignment of the closed rail line from Athenry to Collooney by utilising the route for tourism and leisure as a greenway until such time as a railway may be possible - has welcomed today’s opening of the new M17/18 from Tuam to Gort, which the campaign believes effectively ends the debate about the Western Rail Corridor.

“The time has come to move on and accept the reality of life, the new motorway means the end of any debate about the Western Rail Corridor,” said Brendan Quinn of the campaign.

“This week Galway County Council tabled a motion to carry out a greenway feasibility study but decided to defer a vote on the matter until the publication of the National Transport Authority’s National Rail Review.

"Our campaign can now reveal that this report is now ready and waiting and sitting on Minister Ross’s desk."

Quinn added : “This is the National Rail Review which Sean Canney has been looking for and for which the council deferred their vote.

"We are not privy to what the NTA National Rail Review says, but it is important that it gets released as soon as possible and without alteration or interference. This week we saw Galway County Council put a vote on hold for a greenway feasibility study on the closed railway, pending the publication of the report Sean Canney referred to on September 1 on national media.

“We are sure Galway council members will be keen to see what the National Rail Review says so they can fully evaluate the idea of a greenway feasibility study again. We can’t just keep waiting for more and more reports to come out – something needs to happen.”