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Western Railway Corridor

Coordinates: 52°39′32″N 8°37′26″W / 52.659°N 8.624°W / 52.659; -8.624
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Western Railway Corridor
Railway lines in the west of Ireland.
The Western Railway Corridor, and other
ex-GSWR lines, are in green.
The lines in red are ex-MGWR lines.
Overview
StatusOperational
LocaleWest of Ireland
Coordinates52°39′32″N 8°37′26″W / 52.659°N 8.624°W / 52.659; -8.624
Termini
Stations7
Service
TypeCommuter rail, Inter-city rail
Heavy rail
SystemIarnród Éireann
ServicesInterCity:
Limerick–Galway
Commuter:
Limerick–Ennis
Operator(s)Iarnród Éireann
Rolling stock2800 Class (Commuter)
22000 Class (InterCity)
Ridership531,000 (2019)[1]
History
Opened2 July 1859 (1859-07-02)
Completed1 October 1895 (1895-10-01)
Closed5 April 1976 (1976-04-05)
Reopened30 March 2010 (2010-03-30)[2]
Technical
Line length60.375 miles (97.164 km) [3] (Operational track only)
Number of tracksSingle track[3]
CharacterTertiary
Track gauge1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) Irish gauge
Operating speed50 miles per hour (80 km/h) (Limerick–Ennis)
80 miles per hour (130 km/h) (Ennis–Athenry) [3]
Route map

Legend
Year
closed
 Sligo Mac Diarmada
Sligo Quay
2000
 Ballysadare
1963
Ballisodare River
Sligo, Leitrim & Northern Counties Rly
Dublin–Sligo line
 Collooney
(GSW)
1963
 Leyney
1963
 Carrowmore
1963
 Tubbercurry
1963
 Curry
1963
 Charlestown
1963
 Swinford
1963
 Kiltimagh
1963
↑ Phase 4
↓ Phase 3
Dublin–Westport Line to Westport/Ballina
 Claremorris
Dublin–Westport Line to Athlone/Dublin
River Robe
 Ballindine
1963
 Milltown
1963
River Clare
↑ Phase 3
↓ Phase 2
 Tuam
1976
 Ballyglunin
1976
↑ Phase 2
↓ Phase 1
Dublin–Galway Line to Athlone/Dublin
 Athenry
Dublin–Galway Line to Galway
 Craughwell
Ardrahan
Gort
Tubber
1963
 Crusheen
1976
West Clare Railway (narrow gauge)
River Fergus
 Ennis
River Fergus
 Clare Castle
1963
 Ardsollus & Quinn
1963
 Ballycar & Newmarket
1963
 Sixmilebridge
Cratloe
1963
 Longpavement
1963
River Shannon
Park Canal
Dublin, Ballybrophy and Rosslare lines
 Limerick Colbert
This diagram:

The Western Railway Corridor is a term, used since c. 2003, for a partly disused railway line running through the west of Ireland. Currently two sections of the line, from Limerick via Ennis to Athenry and from Collooney to Sligo, see regular services, with other sections either closed or only technically classed as open.[4][5][6][7]

Context

[edit]

West on Track

[edit]

West on Track was established in 2003 with the aim of reopening the western rail corridor line, for the use of passenger and freight traffic. Its aim was to preserve the infrastructure already in place and to seek funding for the reopening of the railway line. People involved in West on Track include the sociologist Fr. Micheál MacGréil SJ.

Expert Working Group

[edit]

In 2005 an Expert Working Group reported on the prospects for reopening all or part of the corridor. In September 2006 the preservation and reclamation from encroachment of the northern section began and the Government then announced funding to begin Phase 1 (Ennis-Athenry) of the re-opening of the corridor. The reopening of these sections was included in the Transport 21 infrastructural plan, and the National Development Plan 2007–2013 "Transforming Ireland – A Better Quality of Life for All". Transport 21 was the plan name given to long term public transport planning by the Irish government which fell from office in 2011. The plan was dropped by the Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar in 2011 and is no longer the blueprint for transport planning in Ireland.[8]

Route and services

[edit]

The Western Rail Corridor encompasses a series of railways built by various companies throughout the late 19th century, forming a south–north line from Limerick to Sligo. Towns along the WRC include Ennis, Gort, Athenry, Tuam and Claremorris. The route crosses the Dublin–Galway line at Athenry, the Dublin–Westport/Ballina line at Claremorris and joins the Dublin–Sligo line at Collooney. The route largely parallels the corridor served by the N17 and N18 roads.

Passenger services between Claremorris and Collooney ended in 1963, with the section being closed completely in 1975 (the track was left in situ but severed at Collooney). Passenger services between Limerick and Claremorris ceased in 1976, though freight services continued for some time afterwards.

In 1988, a new passenger service started between Limerick and Ennis operating on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This was expanded to Fridays and Saturdays in February 1993 and a six-day service in May 1994. In December 2003, a new seven train a day service started between Limerick and Ennis (connecting or continuing to/from Dublin or Limerick Junction). This was subsequently upgraded to up to 9 trains per day.[citation needed]

In October 2022, Iarnród Éireann and the Government, under the Department of Transport's Pathfinder Programme, announced a study for a train station to be built in Moyross, a suburb on the northside of Limerick City.[9] As of May 2024, a public consultation on the location of the station is open and due to close on 14 June 2024.[10]

Rail freight services

[edit]

Freight services ran regularly on the Limerick to Claremorris section until the mid-1990s. However, with the closure of the Asahi factory near Ballina, regular freight services north of Athenry ceased in 1997. Fertiliser trains from Foynes continued to use the line as far as Athenry until 2000 and bulk cement trains from the Irish Cements Ltd Castlemungret factory near Limerick until 2001, when the line ceased to have any regular traffic. The line from Claremorris to Athenry now carries no services and is classified by Iarnród Éireann as "engineering sidings". Work on clearing the line was undertaken by Iarnród Éireann from November 2015 onwards. Works included reinstating fencing and removal of vegetation.[11]

Line clearance at Athenry on Western Rail Corridor - November 2015

Debate

[edit]

Arguments

[edit]

The reopening of the Western Rail Corridor has raised debate in parts of Ireland, with opinion divided on the benefits of the scheme.

Arguments in favour of reopening the corridor:

Arguments in favour have generally advocated a "balanced" development of the regions vis à vis Dublin and the importance of infrastructure in so doing. The lobby group WestOnTrack has led the campaign to reopen the corridor.

Arguments against reopening the Corridor:

Arguments against the reopening are based on the cost of the restoration work and the annual subsidy required post capital expenditure, and some advocate using trackbed as a cycle path or Greenway instead.

  • Questions were raised about its viability in an editorial in the Irish Times,[20] by an article in the Irish Independent,[21] by the lobby group, Platform 11,[22] and by the Strategic Rail Review, 2003.[23]
  • In 2009, the McCarthy Report recommended cancelling future sections of the project and closing the Ballina-Manulla rail line.[24]
  • Critics had said that southern sections of the scheme are more viable than those closer to Sligo. The idea of a greenway on any parts of the route, which may become surplus if a railway order process was undertaken, was suggested by Minister Eamon O'Cuiv at a West on Track conference in May 2009 in response to lobbying for this idea from Enniscrone resident Brendan Quinn and his colleague John Mulligan.[25]

Report on transport budget underspend in the West of Ireland

[edit]

A mid-term evaluation of the Irish government's National Development Plan by the economic consultant company INDECON, is cited by some parties as a reason to build the Western Rail Corridor.[26][27] The report stated that only half the forecast NDP transport investment in the BMW region for the period 2000–2006 was spent or committed to be spent by 2002, a shortfall of €364 million. As Transport projects have long lead times this report indicated that the relative shortfall in transport expenditure would be maintained over the course of the planning period to 2006.

Frank Dawson detailed statistics breaking out the INDECON data,[28] who is now[when?] the Roscommon County Manager.

Reliability of the McCann Expert Working Group report

[edit]

Lobbyists for the project point to the recommendations of this report commissioned by the minister for transport as evidence that the project is justified. The report stated that if the case for Mayo rail freight could be proven, it would add to the case for rebuilding Athenry-Claremorris as one section.

Frank McDonald, in an article in the Irish Times[29] based on information released under the Freedom of Information Act, indicated that the report was rewritten to exclude any negative assessment of the viability of the project including a forecast that it would 'attract only 750 passengers per day and could require an annual subvention of up to €10 million'. Passenger numbers for the first section of the line between Ennis-Limerick were reported at a mere 600 a day in March 2008.[30]

Criticisms of the McCann Report have included the reliance on anecdotal testimony regarding freight demand and the absence of costings for rolling stock and operating expenses.[31]

A cost-benefit analysis report prepared by Goodbody Economic Consultants for the Department of Transport in 2006 stated that passenger numbers on the soon to be opened Ennis-Athenry section of the WRC would be in the order of 200,000, requiring an annual subvention of €2.4m, with a negative Net Present Value of -€137m. The report concluded that even a doubling of patronage would not make the project viable on cost-benefit grounds, while the regional development benefits from the re-opening were viewed as 'unlikely to be significant.'[32]

Effect of freight

[edit]

The McCann Report suggests that the Ennis Claremorris Section could divert and grow Mayo to Waterford freight traffic via the Western Rail Corridor.[33]

Opponents argue that rail freight volumes in the country have dropped near to zero in recent years and that indirect freight routes already exist from most large towns in the region.[34] As of September 2015 nine trains serve this freight route in each direction each week.[35]

Infrastructure before development

[edit]

Advocates of the project argue that key transport infrastructure should be built prior to development and may actually encourage development to take place. Land use and settlement strategies are in place in all of the counties along the route of the WRC as a result of direct initiatives by the County Development Boards and County Councils concerned. In addition the WRC is specified as a key infrastructural objective in the County Development Plans of Clare, Galway, Mayo and Sligo as well as the Regional Planning Guidelines of the West Regional Authority.[36]

Project opponents, however, argue that the local councils are not following land use policies that would create centres of population density around the railway stations along this route, but instead are continuing to permit isolated rural housing.[citation needed]

Timeline for reopening

[edit]

Expert Working Group Report

[edit]

An Expert Working Group, headed by Pat McCann, CEO of Jurys Doyle Hotels, reported to the Minister for Transport regarding the prospects for reopening some or all of the route. The group was set up by Minister Séamus Brennan at the urging of West-on-Track in June 2004 and delivered its report to Minister Martin Cullen in May 2005.

The report recommended the reopening of most of the Corridor in three phases and the deferral of the reopening of the northernmost section:[37]

Phase 1: Ennis to Athenry
58 km / 36 miles (€74.7 million)

Phase 2: Athenry to Tuam
25 km / 15.5 miles (€34.7 million)

Phase 3: Tuam to Claremorris
(subject to study of rail freight demand or in conjunction with phase 2)
27 km / 17 miles (€58.9 million)

Phase 4: Claremorris to Collooney
(subject to further feasibility studies and possibly justifiable on the grounds of balanced regional development)
74.43 km / 46.25 miles (€197.4 million)

Transport 21

[edit]

On 1 November 2005 the Transport 21 plan was launched committing government expenditure of €34 billion between 2006 and 2015 on road, rail and light rail projects. The Western Railway Corridor commitments under this plan were largely those recommended by the McCann Report:

  • 2009 – Opening of Ennis-Athenry section
  • 2011 – Opening of Athenry-Tuam section
  • 2014 – Opening of Tuam-Claremorris section

Former Minister for Transport Martin Cullen also announced the undertaking of a feasibility study into a rail link for Shannon Airport in his speech at the launch. This study, undertaken by MVA Consultants, estimated the proposed link would cost €700m, while an Iarnród Éireann manager stated that 'the costs of the construction of the rail link are out of proportion to the benefits to be gained'.[38]

Transport 21 also stated the section of line from Claremorris to Collooney, the northern section known as Section Four in the McCann Report should be subject to protection of the alignment.

Transport 21 was shelved by the current Irish Government in May 2011. There are no plans to re-open any more sections of the Western Rail Corridor. Former Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar TD is on record as saying the Government has no plans to re-open any further sections of the Western Rail corridor.[8]

TEN-T Transport policy

[edit]
Main article: Trans-European Transport Network

In November 2013 the European Parliament approved European TEN-T Transport policy. In the most radical overhaul of EU infrastructure policy since its inception in the 1980s, the European Parliament on 19 November 2013 gave final approval to new maps showing the nine major corridors which will act as a backbone for transportation in Europe's single market and revolutionise East–West connections. To match this level of ambition, Parliament also voted to triple EU financing for transport infrastructure.

On the island of Ireland, the only rail route corridor that is included in the TEN-T Core network is the route Cork-Dublin-Belfast. The Limerick-Athenry section of the Western Rail Corridor is included in the TEN-T Comprehensive network.[39]

Progress of works

[edit]

Following preliminary works in late 2005 and early 2006, official clearance work on the northern section of the line (Claremorris to Collooney) began on 18 September 2006. Renewal of track commenced in 2007 on the line between Ennis and Athenry was completed in 2009. After a gap of more than thirty years, train services between the cities of Galway and Limerick commenced on Tuesday 30 March 2010, on budget at a cost of €106.5m, a figure which included building new stations in Sixmilebridge and Oranmore. The service provides five trains per day between Galway and Limerick. It serves existing stations at Limerick, Ennis, Athenry and Galway, as well as new stations at Sixmilebridge, Gort, Ardrahan and Craughwell. The Limerick to Galway service also feeds into expanded intercity services between Limerick and Dublin and between Galway and Dublin. Iarnród Éireann planned for both routes to gain hourly services at peak and two hourly off-peak; however, recession has resulted in delay, with some services withdrawn.

The middle section of the western rail corridor, Athenry – Claremorris, has been programmed but not funded under Transport 21 while the Collooney – Claremorris northern section has not been programmed or funded bar some line clearance work in 2006. Transport 21 is no longer Irish government policy.

In comments by then Taoiseach Enda Kenny on 22 December 2014 on Midwest radio said the Western Rail corridor was "not going to happen in the foreseeable future" and said "this is not going to happen" when asked about the Western Rail Corridor.[40]

Following those remarks, in January 2015 Kenny said at a press briefing in Lough Lannagh in Castlebar told local media in Mayo that he still sees the potential for developing freight services on the line stating, "I still see potential [on the Western Rail Corridor] from a freight point of view."[41]

Patronage

[edit]

In 2011, The Irish Examiner reported that passenger numbers were "still quite low" in 2010.[42]

Four years after the opening of the route an online booking facility was introduced in December 2013. On 6 January 2015, Iarnród Éireann reported that following the introduction of online booking and new adult fares, passenger numbers on the Galway-Limerick railway (Western Rail Corridor) for 2014 were in excess of 220,000, including a 72.5 per cent increase in passenger journeys through the Ennis- Athenry section of the line, the largest annual growth on the rail network. The service was also being promoted through free car parking at Gort, Ardrahan and Craughwell; promotion of Taxsaver tickets, giving commuters full tax relief on the cost of monthly and annual season tickets purchased through employers and group travel promotions, including schools.[43]

The Irish Times noted the 2015 figures as follows "Of particular note was the growth in passenger numbers on the western rail corridor, which saw a 72.5 per cent increase from 29,000 to 50,000 journeys through the Ennis-Athenry section of the line".[43]

By 2017, the Ennis-Athenry section carried nearly 100,000 passengers.[44]

Collooney-Claremorris section as a greenway

[edit]

The idea of opening a greenway, on the Collooney-Claremorris section of the line, has been advocated by the campaign group Sligo-Mayo Greenway. This group has argued that the funding for a greenway on this section would be minimal in infrastructural terms and would not hinder the eventual reinstatement of the Railway should the funding for that ever become available. The campaigners for the greenway on this section of the track, point to the success of the Great Western Greenway, the first section of which opened in 2010.

In August 2011 this proposal was ruled out by the former Western Regional Authority[45] but the proposal continues to be discussed.[46][47][48] During 2013 the idea twice failed to get a seconder at Galway and Mayo Co. Councils and was also defeated (16-3) at Roscommon Co Council. The County Managers' reports in respect of the new Co Development Plans for both Galway and Mayo pointed to the strategic importance of protecting the railway infrastructure and to having proposed walking and cycling routes located elsewhere.

In July 2014 Sligo County Council passed a motion put to the council chamber by Cllr Dara Mulvey that Sligo County Council should seek funding for a feasibility study for a greenway on the route within County Sligo from Collooney to Bellaghy on the County Sligo/Mayo border. The motion was passed without a vote by Sligo county council and is now County Council policy.

In February 2015 a new campaign group the Sligo Greenway Co-op was formed as a shareholding co-op - with shares issued at €1 each and shares sold in blocks of ten. As of July 2015 the Sligo Greenway Co-op had 280 shareholders in County Sligo and had the support of two Sligo TDs, Tony McLoughlin and John Perry.[49] Perry was not re-elected in 2016.

A 2014 study by the NWRA (Northern and Western Regional Assembly) of future recreational developments in the area of outdoor pursuits in Counties Galway, Mayo and Roscommon rejected the idea that the Western Rail Corridor be turned into a walking or cycling route. The "Study of Outdoor Recreation in the West" (2014) stated: "The Regional Planning Guidelines (RPGs) for the West Region 2010-2022 seek the full reinstatement of the Western Rail Corridor as a long-term strategic sustainable transport route. Greenways are not mentioned in the RPGs, though the development of suitable long-distance walking and cycling routes (subject to environmental assessment) are supported. It is not the purpose of the Regional Planning Guidelines to see such routes provided at the expense of long-term strategic infrastructure so it is critical that the goals are not hampered even in the short term particularly when other more suitable greenway options could be explored taking account of environmental, social and economic considerations".[50]

Supporters of the greenway state that use of a greenway will protect the trackbed from adverse possession claims and will not preclude reinstatement of the disused sections of line as a working railway in the future.[citation needed]

Sligo to Derry

[edit]

The idea for the development of a North-Western Rail Corridor is the suggested construction of a railway connecting Sligo, Bundoran, Ballyshannon, Donegal Town, Letterkenny and Derry, where it would connect with the Belfast-Derry railway line. This proposal, however, is not included in the TEN-T European Transport policy.[51] However, a study on future rail lines commissioned by Iarnród Éireann, by consultants AECOM, in 2011 found that an extension of the Belfast-Derry railway line to Letterkenny was one point away from being regarded as a viable prospect.[52][page needed]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Western Rail Corridor users up according to Irish Rail". Connacht Tribune. 7 February 2020. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  2. ^ Deegan, Gordon (9 February 2010). "Opening date for rail corridor". The Irish Times. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Reidy, Michael (30 October 2021). Network Statement (PDF) (2022 ed.). Irish Rail. pp. 41, 78–79. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  4. ^ "Maps". Archived from the original on 25 August 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  5. ^ "Maps". Archived from the original on 25 August 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  6. ^ "Maps". Archived from the original on 25 August 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  7. ^ "Maps". Archived from the original on 25 August 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  8. ^ a b Siggins, Lorna (5 April 2018). "Varadkar move blocked funding for western rail corridor". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 17 April 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  9. ^ "Train station for Moyross among Limerick sustainable travel projects". Limerick Post Newspaper. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  10. ^ Quinn, Sandra (20 May 2024). "Development of new train station in Limerick moves a step closer". www.limerickleader.ie. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  11. ^ "West=On=Track (@IRLWestOnTrack) - Twitter". Archived from the original on 26 September 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  12. ^ Restored Western Rail Corridor will reinvigorate west Archived 10 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine Irish Times, 21 May 2005
  13. ^ Let's put the west back on track Archived 10 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine Irish Times, 12 June 2006
  14. ^ Decentralisation, the WRC and Regional Development Archived 10 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine Irish Times 19 June 2006
  15. ^ 'Lack of road and rail links' killing tourism in west Archived 10 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine Sunday Independent, 14 August 2005
  16. ^ Plans for Increased Regional Access Vital for Tourism Spread throughout Ireland Archived 10 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine IHF Galway branch press release, 13 February 2006
  17. ^ Gridlock in Galway City Archived 10 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine Irish Independent (Letters), 14 August 2006
  18. ^ Students call for Western Rail Corridor to re-open Archived 10 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine Western People, 6 Sep 2006
  19. ^ Opinion Poll Findings show Significant Passenger Demand for Western Rail Corridor Archived 10 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine MRBI/TG4 Press Release, 31 October 2006
  20. ^ "Off the rails". The Irish Times. 6 June 2006. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012.
  21. ^ 'Ladybird' WRC report a one-track journey into madness Irish Independent, 16 May 2005 Archived 10 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  22. ^ "Campaigns - Western Rail Corridor". Archived from the original on 22 August 2006. Retrieved 10 March 2007.
  23. ^ "Strategic Rail Review, 2003" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 November 2006.
  24. ^ "Report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes Volume I" (PDF). The Irish Times. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 August 2010.
  25. ^ The Merits of a Cycleway Not A Railway[permanent dead link] Western People Letters Quoting Minister O Cuiv speech , 20 May 2009
  26. ^ "True Picture of Western Underspend is Indefensible". westontrack.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 20 March 2007.
  27. ^ "Massive underspend in National Development Plan in BMW Region – Kenny". Fine Gael. 29 April 2004. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007.
  28. ^ Frank Dawson (4 March 2004). "The Western Rail Corridor - THE SLIGO - LIMERICK RAILWAY - An Economic and Social Asset". Archived from the original on 19 November 2007.
  29. ^ "Government ignored doubts over Western Rail Corridor". The Irish Times. 6 June 2006. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012.
  30. ^ "Ennis-Limerick rail line to remain closed". RTÉ News. 12 March 2008. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
  31. ^ "Transparency essential for PPPs". Retrieved 24 May 2006. [dead link]
  32. ^ "Goodbody Economic Consultants: Audit of the Business Case for the Reintroduction of Passenger Rail Services between Ennis and Athenry" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2009.
  33. ^ "Report to the Minister for Transport from the Chairman of the Expert Working Group on the Western Rail Corridor". Department of Transport. 13 May 2005. Archived from the original on 3 November 2006.
  34. ^ "Trinity College Student Economic Review 2006: An Economic Analysis of the Western Rail Corridor". Archived from the original on 7 June 2011.
  35. ^ Rail, Irish. "Freight". Archived from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  36. ^ "Regional Economic Strategy and Regional Planning Guidelines (Adopted)". Galway County Council. Archived from the original on 4 October 2006.
  37. ^ McCann, Pat. "Report to the Minister for Transport from the Chairman of the Expert Working Group on the Western Rail Corridor" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 September 2006. Retrieved 24 May 2006.
  38. ^ "Limerick Rail Link to Airport ruled out in Study". The Irish Times. 10 October 2007. Archived from the original on 25 October 2010. Retrieved 6 June 2009.
  39. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  40. ^ Brendan Quinn (22 December 2014). "Western Rail Corridor is not got happen says Taoiseach december 22nd 2014". Archived from the original on 26 September 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2015 – via YouTube.
  41. ^ "Comments-Opinion: Railways – freight with answers". mayonews.ie. Archived from the original on 30 November 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  42. ^ Deegan, Gordon (12 October 2011). "Numbers using re-opened western rail link still low". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 19 December 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  43. ^ a b O'Brien, Tim (5 January 2015). "Iarnród Éireann passenger numbers up by 1 million". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 14 August 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  44. ^ "Passenger numbers on Galway-Limerick line surge ahead". The Connacht Tribune. Archived from the original on 25 September 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  45. ^ "Cross-party consensus rules out greenway for western rail corridor". Con-Telegraph.ie. 8 August 2011. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2019 – via Wayback Machine.
  46. ^ "Disused rail line branded a missed tourism opportunity". Connacht Tribune. 11 September 2016. Archived from the original on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2019 – via Wayback Machine.
  47. ^ "German backing for Sligo rail line's greenway plan". Sligo Champion. 30 January 2016. Archived from the original on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2019 – via Independent.ie.
  48. ^ McDonald, Frank (27 August 2013). "Dispute over future of disused Western Rail Corridor". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  49. ^ "November General Election". Sligo Greenway Co-op. 31 August 2015. Archived from the original on 21 October 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019 – via Facebook.
  50. ^ "The Study of Outdoor Recreation in the West". 10 October 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2019 – via Wayback Machine.
  51. ^ "Infrastructure - TEN-T - Connecting Europe - Mobility and Transport - European Commission". Archived from the original on 28 August 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  52. ^ Iarnród Éireann; AECOM (2011). "2030 Rail Network Strategy Review" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 April 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2015.

Sources

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