West=On=Track -News

BMW Regional Assembly Welcomes Date for Limerick-Galway Rail Opening

Press Release, Feb 9th 2010 

The Director of the BMW Regional Assembly, Mr. Gerry Finn has welcomed the announcement by Irish Rail that services will commence on Monday March 29th on the first phase of the Western Rail Corridor project linking the Atlantic Corridor cities of Galway and Limerick. The Director stated that "the opening of rail services between Galway and Limerick represents a significant infrastructural project for regional development in Ireland and complements the objectives of the National Spatial Strategy 2002-2020 which sets out a vision for Ireland’s regions to maximise their economic potential and seeks to advance the development of the Atlantic Gateway Corridor".

The Director added, ‘in the current challenging economic environment the strengthening of infrastructural linkages between Galway and Limerick represents a very positive development and presents potential opportunities in terms of stimulating economic activity, developing areas for further enterprise collaboration and in particular advancing avenues for tourism development, while facilitating appropriate roles for both Galway and Shannon Airport. It is important however that the relevant agencies provide the necessary support to maximise the full benefits of this rail project’.

The Director concluded, ‘it is vital that the Western Rail Corridor project does not stall following the achievement of this major infrastructural milestone for the West of Ireland. As well as relieving traffic problems, it will provide an alternative mode of transport to commuters and will have substantial positive environmental impacts for Ireland while ultimately possessing the potential to remove freight from our roads. We look forward to working with the Government, Irish Rail and all stakeholders to see this vision begin to bear fruition’.