Group hopeful of early opening of western rail link

Campaigners for the reopening of the western rail corridor have said they believe the line will reopen ahead of the timetable contained in the Government's new transport strategy.

According to the timetable the first phase of the line, the Ennis, Co Clare, to Athenry, Co Galway, stretch, will be complete by 2008. The next section from Athenry to Tuam Co Mayo is not due to be completed until 2011 while the final section from Tuam to Claremorris, Co Mayo, is not due to open until 2014.

But at the weekend Colman Ó Raghallaigh, a spokesman for the campaign group West on Track, said the group was optimistic that the reopening would be ahead of schedule because it was the only project in the transport plan which did not require approval through the statutory planning process.

With no public inquiry to be held, and the land already in the ownership of Iarnród Éireann work on the tracks could begin immediately - "it is the only project that could begin immediately", he maintained.

"The reopening of the Ennis to Claremorris section of the line was costed as low as €160 million in the Faber Mansell report this year, and it would deliver 70 miles of connectivity, it would be hard to show a better project to deliver value for money," he said.

Mr Ó Raghallaigh said it would be difficult to find a project which would provide better value for money in terms of providing a development incentive. He added that campaigners believed that when the Government examined the project "they will look again at the indicative timetable".

Meanwhile, Minister for Transport Martin Cullen has insisted Transport 21 is "balanced" between Dublin and the regions. He said the "Atlantic Road Corridor" would link up all the regional cities from Donegal to Cork via Waterford.

Mr Cullen said the road would provide good transport links between each regional city, as opposed to the cities linking individually with Dublin.

Responding to questions on the Athlone to Mullingar rail link, which is currently closed to passenger services, Mr Cullen said there was an issue of finite resources in relation to the current plan, but he did not rule out the link being examined by Iarnród Éireann or its inclusion in the transport strategy at a later date.