Reopening of Clare railway station would benefit Limerick commuters, council hears

STRONG passenger numbers at the reopened Sixmilebridge station have been cited in support of improved rail links between Clare and Limerick, including calls to reopen a railway stop in East Clare.

Clare councillors have called for the return to service for the railway stop in Crusheen at the January Meeting of Clare County Council.

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Fianna Fail councillors Pat Hayes and Alan O'Callaghan with Fine Gael councillor Gabriel Keating asked that "Clare County Council calls on the Minister for Transport to authorise the development of the long-awaited train station at Crusheen without any further delay."

They continued: "We welcome the confirmation by the government that the extension of the Western Rail Corridor from Athenry to Claremorris is to commence and we also welcome the confirmation by Iarnród Éireann that the railway from Claremorris to Sligo is to be kept for future rail use only."

Cllr Pat Hayes said he wants the government to reopen the stop, noting that Crusheen has one of the fastest-growing populations in the county with over 6,000 people now living in the area.

He added that more than 700,000 passengers now use the Galway–Limerick line, up from 190,000 in 2010, with strong usage among students.

He also noted that Iarnród Éireann has proposed double-tracking the route between Limerick and Galway from Athenry, adding that "we need to have Crusheen on that [railway line] and opened."

Cllr Hayes called on each director to liaise with their departments to push for the reinstatement of the Crusheen railway stop and that they should "have it on their priority list to improve that whole service."

He emphasised that "very few have the opportunity of a rail track running through the spine of their county and we have that in abundance."

Cllr Hayes explained how 20 years ago the council received approval by the Minister for Transport, funding allocated towards the project and planning granted but as there was "no real population in Crusheen" at the time the project never went ahead.

Cllr Alan O'Callaghan stated that the reopening of the station is "highly pushed" by the Killaloe Municipal District, with them helping to get land acquired for the stop.

He highlighted the massive success of the opening of the railway stop in Sixmilebridge as "the mindset of younger people is changing" with more people opting to use public transportation.

Cllr O'Callaghan highlighted an instance where he saw a group of young adults using the Sixmilebridge stop to go into Ennis for 12 pubs over the Christmas period rather then having to pay for taxis.

Fine Gael councillor John Crowe, a member of tthe Inter-railway Committee, said that a rail way stop "is a great asset to any area, a massive one" citing increased passenger numbers at the Galway rail station.

He explained that as the land has been secured for the Crusheen site, all that "putting the pen across the page is all that is needed to reopen the Crusheen stop."

Cllr Joe Kileen voiced his support, saying "connectivity is a key consideration for people moving to an area", and that reopening the Crusheen rail stop would significantly improve rail access for commuters travelling to and from Limerick and Galway.

Gordon Daly, Chief Executive for Clare County Council, confirmed that the council are continuing to engage with Irish Rail, noting that Clare are "very lucky to have a railway line running through our county" as "a railway is a fortunate piece of infrastructure" for the county to have.

Concluding the discussion, Cllr Hayes said the proposal was "not just about Crusheen, but about growing the service" nationally, noting that while capacity exists and land has been acquired, government approval is still required.