Athenry to Galway rail upgrade
Deputy Cannon urged progress on double-tracking the Athenry-Galway rail line as a practical transport investment for Galway. The Minister agreed and said cities need major rail investment within the national planning framework, citing Cork metropolitan rail as an example.
In a week when serious questions have arisen as to whether we can deliver a ring road for Galway, an issue that one expects will be immersed in a quagmire of planning and legal issues for many years to come, it is now time to focus on the things we can deliver that will improve the quality of life of people who live in Galway city and county. I asked the Minister in September 2020 to look into the feasibility of double-tracking the rail line from Athenry to Galway, thus greatly improving the capacity, flexibility and reliability of that service, and he committed then to carrying out a feasibility study, which would report in mid-2021. It has been two years since I asked that question and still there is no report. I have been told by the Minister of State with responsibility for the NTA that the feasibility study for the double-tracking of Athenry to Oranmore is somehow now attached to the national all-island rail review.
It is time we urgently focused on the things we can deliver that will deliver significant change and great improvement in the quality of life for people who live in Galway city and county. We need to unshackle those projects from other analyses, reports and reviews that will be ongoing for many years to come.
We need to deliver what needs to be delivered right now.
Comment on this
I agree with the Deputy. One of the reasons investments like that make sense is that we need to adhere to the national planning framework. There is excess development on the east coast compared in particular with Cork, Galway, Waterford and Limerick. In each of those cities, in the near future, I expect us to make announcements similar to that which was made in Moyross earlier this week. We need to make similar investments in our rail network, especially in our cities. That is why we invested in Cork metropolitan rail as one of the main projects in our European resilience funding applications. I see the twin-tracking from Athenry to Ceannt Station in Galway in a similar light and, indeed, Waterford station moving along the River Suir.
Those sorts of investments will be considered within the national all-island rail review. That is imminent and I expect it will be complete within weeks or two or three months, at the latest. That might help make the case for the investment decision.
