Rail will be Crucial to Sligo’s Future Development
Statement from West on Track on the Sligo-Galway rail link.
Last month an EU report highlighted how the economy of the West is lagging behind due to a lack of investment in infrastructure. The EU Regional Competitiveness Index stated that deficits outside Dublin are considerably undermining the competitiveness of our overall economy. The North and West are the only regions that were below the EU average, with a score comparable to Eastern and Southern Europe.
The 47 miles of existing railway from Claremorris to Collooney is an extremely valuable piece of state-owned public transport infrastructure, passing an international airport (IWAK) and connecting many towns, which would cost many hundreds of millions to acquire today. To build an equivalent line to the Mayo-Sligo section from scratch could potentially cost €15m/km or close to €1.5bn.
It is therefore essential that the rail alignment is protected for future rail use.
Since closure, the railway alignment has been preserved by Iarnród Éireann. The rails remain in situ and the necessary engineering works required to put a railway into operation can be undertaken at any time. The entire route was re-fenced in the mid-2000s and further extensive clearance work was carried out by Iarnród Éireann on a number of sections of the line as recently as 2020-21.
The democratically adopted Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy (RSES 2020-2032) for the Northern and Western Region recognises the strategic importance of the Western Rail Corridor (WRC) as a growth enabler for the region and its potential to link the economies of large urban centres along the western seaboard from Limerick to Galway and Sligo.
Regional Policy Objectives, RPOs 6.13a and 6.13b, refer specifically to the regeneration of the WRC from Athenry to Claremorris and from Claremorris to Sligo.
These objectives serve to protect the railway from any interference as all development plans for counties within the Northern and Western Regional Assembly (NWRA) area must align with the RSES.
A spokesman for West on Track said: “The likelihood that the Galway line is soon to reopen as far north as Claremorris offers an important opportunity for Sligo, as it means that the Sligo-Galway line will then be more than 60% in operation. Mayo’s industries will then be able to use the WRC line for moving raw materials and finished products, saving time and money and reducing their carbon footprint. The same opportunity needs to be afforded to Sligo.
“Apart from the obvious business opportunities, the renewal of the rail line would also allow commuters from towns across the region to travel sustainably while availing of cheap fares through annual commuter tickets.
“As the success of the reopened Galway-Limerick route has shown, students will also use rail services in large numbers. Today, there are more 3rd level places on the Galway-Sligo route alone than there were in the entire state when the line closed in the 1970s.
North-south rail connectivity will also create an economic synergy between the designated Regional Growth Centre of Sligo and the regional capital Galway, while making it easier for overseas visitors to travel through the region to visit Sligo and adjacent counties.
“We have recently been hearing a great deal about the development of an Atlantic Rail Corridor. In this regard, we warmly welcome the positive news of the reopening of Limerick-Foynes (currently under way) and the expected announcement of Athenry-Claremorris. At the same time, the recent EU report has highlighted that proper infrastructural investment is also urgently needed in the north-west. All the more reason then, to have the vision and ambition to continue the project to Sligo. After all, the Atlantic doesn’t stop in Claremorris. The line to Sligo can be renewed with just 1% of the current NDP transport budget. It is an asset that can no longer be ignored or, worse still, thrown away,” he added.
