Irish Rail says the first phase of the western rail corridor has recorded "a credible performance" in spite of passenger numbers falling well short of the anticipated numbers, writes Gordon Deegan.
Figures released yesterday by Irish Rail for the route’s first 12 months show that 53,187 passengers travelled on the the new €106 million Ennis-Athenry service.
The numbers fall far short of the anticipated 100,000 in its business case for reopening the line. Irish Rail also said there were 252,607 rail passengers between Limerick and Galway.
Irish Rail corporate communications manager Barry Kenny said: “The business case obviously did not provide for the calamitous recession, which has impacted on demand for all transport due to reduced economic activity”.