Reaction in the west: The €400 million plan to reopen the Western Rail Corridor linking Limerick to Sligo after 30 years has been warmly welcomed by campaigners in the west.
West on Track campaign spokesman Colman Ó Raghallaigh said it was delighted that the reopening of the Claremorris-Ennis section of the line would form part of the first phase of the Government's 10-year Transport 21 plan, along with the reopening of the section of railway north of Claremorris.
"We welcome the Minister's announcement very much and feel a timeframe for the implementation of his plan is very important. In that respect, we believe it will achieve its maximum potential if work commences at Claremorris and Ennis simultaneously," he said.
Of all the projects included in Minister for Transport Martin Cullen's €34.4 billion plan, the Western Rail Corridor project is unique in that it has emerged following a sustained campaign by communities from Sligo town to Clare.
Mr Ó Raghallaigh explained: "The West on Track campaign was born out of the need of communities to have 21st-century infrastructure in the 21st century. We had better rail infrastructure in this country in the 19th century than we do now."
A special presentation was made at Claremorris railway station in Co Mayo yesterday afternoon to the patron of the West on Track campaign, Fr Michael McGreil of the Inter-Counties Railway Committee, who has been campaigning for the reopening of the vital rail link for more than 25 years.
Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív met representatives of the West on Track campaign at Claremorris station following the publication of the transport plan yesterday.
"After 30 years of waiting, we now have a clear and unequivocal commitment on the Western Rail Corridor from Ennis to Collooney [ Sligo]. The section from Ennis to Claremorris will open within the next 10 years. My Department will provide funding towards the work that will be carried out to preserve the valuable right of way north of Claremorris.
"It is hoped to start the latter work in 2006, which will consist of clearing the line and replacing or repairing all fences," Mr Ó Cuív said.
The Minister welcomed the upgrading of the frequency of trains on mainline rail, particularly those on the Galway and Sligo routes, which would also be of major benefit to those living on the west coast.
He said works on the Dublin-Sligo and Dublin-Galway roads and the development of a major transport corridor along the west coast linking Waterford, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Sligo and Letterkenny would now provide the necessary major infrastructure for the west of Ireland to reach its full potential.
The commitment to an upgrading of the coastal national secondary routes in Galway, Mayo, Clare, Kerry and Donegal would ensure that every community, even in the most westerly parts of the country, would benefit from the plan, Mr Ó Cuív said.
Minister of State for European Affairs Noel Treacy said the upgrading of the Limerick-Sligo line would have an enormous positive impact on the lives of thousands of people, as well as bringing significant economic benefits in terms of industrial investment and tourism to the west.
Martin Loughman, who drove trains between Limerick and Sligo through Claremorris in the 1960s, said: "Time may be running out for me but I wouldn't be too worried about the 10-year timespan. As long as the trains come back some time, that's the important thing."
