Greens delivering for west on public transport, Mayo meeting told

THE Green Party has been praised for its commitment to delivering the Western Rail Corridor.

The Mayo Greens' monthly meeting in Lough Lannagh Village was addressed by Colmán Ó Raghallaigh, from West on Track, who praised the party on their commitment to delivering the Western Rail Corridor and emphasised how 'important it will be to existing and future business in Castlebar, Ballina and indeed throughout the county'.

“Building the infrastructure to connect Mayo with Foynes and Rosslare will be a massive leap forward for freight and will take thousands of HGVs off the roads, contributing massively to our emissions reduction targets,” commented Mr. Ó Raghallaigh.

He complimented the Greens, and in particular Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan, on the leadership and vision he has shown on the issue.

Senator Pauline O’Reilly, chairperson of the Green Party nationally, who also attended the meeting, said it was 'a great example of how the Greens are delivering for Mayo and the west of Ireland'.

She said: “the development of the rail infrastructure, and public transport in general, is a key policy platform being driven by the Greens in government.”

The meeting was attended by a larger number of young members of Comhairle na nÓg, and Ed Aylward gave an input on engagement with young Greens.

He emphasised the need to 'value the input of young people’s perspectives, their passion, and their energy in leading a green future'.

“Young people obviously have a large stake in actions and policies that will shape their future. Especially relevant to us in Mayo are jobs and public transport.”

Senator O’Reilly was delighted to see so many young people at the meeting and pointed out that the Greens delivered the 50% reduction in public transport fares for 19-23 year olds and 20% reduction for everybody else as a result of a proposal that came directly from young people in Comhairle nan Óg.

The next meeting of the Mayo Greens will be in Louisburgh - see the branch's Facebook page for details.