Minister confirms Mayo - Galway rail project gets underway next year
Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy Seán Canney, has confirmed that the railway between Claremorris and Athenry will be the first major infrastructural project to be delivered under the government’s Rail Project Prioritisation Strategy and that major enabling works will get under way next year (2027).
Major projects will include intercity electrification and significant capacity upgrades on the rail network.
Speaking in the Seanad, the Minister told Senator Mark Duffy that funding has been provided in the national development plan for construction to commence in 2028 and pre-construction activities are well under way.
Early work is ongoing in the form of vegetation clearance and detailed structural surveys along the alignment of key structures such as bridges and embankments, including the reinstatement of the bridge at Ballyglunin.
Minister Canney continued: “Among these major projects, I am pleased to report that the first to enter construction in the coming years will be the reinstatement of the rail line between Athenry and Claremorris.
“Iarnród Éireann has also appointed a multidisciplinary consultant to assist with the preparation of the project appraisal documents required under the infrastructure guidelines.
“Taken alongside other projects in the region, including the refurbishment of Galway Ceannt Station and the provision of a passing loop and second platform at Oranmore, the reinstatement of this line will greatly increase rail connectivity in the west of Ireland, bringing sustainability benefits for both passengers and freight."
Minister Canney indicated that there may only be two level crossings left on the N17 when the new railway is built.
“I convened a meeting earlier this year of Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, Galway County Council, Mayo County Council, the National Transport Authority and Irish Rail, so that we will have a co-ordinated approach to this and that any of the blockages that arise will be dealt with in the pre-planning stage. That is ongoing at the moment.
“The recommendation to open the line between Claremorris and Athenry will be the first major infrastructural project to be delivered under the strategy. That is important. It underscores the importance of the line for enhancing regional connectivity.
"When opened, it will link Ballina, Westport, Castlebar, Claremorris and Tuam down to Athenry, Ennis and Limerick, and into Foynes, Galway, Cork and Waterford ports.
“That will relieve the congestion for freight, which is apparent at the moment on the line going directly up to Dublin. It is important that we continue to develop that. The opening of the line from Limerick to Foynes Port gives us an extra outlet for importing, exporting and using freight as our means of transport,” he added.