Selling rail review as ‘reopening’ of Western Rail Corridor misleads public
THE announcement of the All-Island Rail Review for the third time has been met with overwhelming support from politicians and tireless advocacy groups like West on Track. Many people in Mayo welcome the opportunity to travel to Galway via rail for the first time in a generation. However, it’s important to note that the East Mayo Greenway committee now has ample reason to direct anger at the inaction of Mayo county councillors.
The dream of connecting Claremorris to Collooney was always a long shot. It’s not even mentioned as a possibility over the next 30 years of Irish rail reviews. Mayo will not have any double track, so limitations will be in place regarding frequency and speed.
Most damning from a Mayo perspective is that it will be possible to travel via rail to an airport in Shannon, while Ireland West Airport has been left out entirely from the strategic review, which won’t be seen until 2050.
There is a lack of vision once again when it comes to balanced regional development. Shannon receives a spur, as do Dublin and Belfast airports, but the west is left out.
Attention for the future of rail in Mayo should concentrate on removing any unmanned crossings. Overpasses and underpasses should be created to eliminate potential danger with motorists and pedestrians, increasing travel speeds and safety levels.
The Claremorris-Athenry line is shovel-ready and clearing works have already gotten underway. However, there is no real excitement for many when our international airport has been forgotten about again.
For the people of east Mayo who will be without a rail line, it is now time for councillors in Mayo County Council to support the greenway committees in the east of the county.
They should join their counterparts in Sligo and Galway who have been championing this cause for decades.
Mayo councillors have clung to the hope of the full rail corridor being reopened, connecting Connaught’s two biggest cities. This All-Island Rail Review has been billed as ambitious, but the negligence to exclude the northern part of the Western Rail Corridor will have long-term impacts on communities in the east of this county.
The shelving of the N17 motorway upgrade spelt bad news for commuters in Connaught. The double blow of neglecting the rail network will only drive investment away from the west, the opposite of what balanced regional development was meant to achieve.
Politicians lauding the reopening of the Western Rail Corridor are only misleading their constituents. We still have a long way to go to reach the levels of the 19th century when Ireland possessed the densest rail network in Europe, much of which we dismantled.