West=On=Track - News

Green Party Leader meets West on Track in Galway

Press Release from the West=on=Track Community Campaign

Green Party Leader Trevor Sargeant has commended the West on Track campaign for their great work. Mr Sargeant was visiting Galway for the launch of the region's Green Candidates in next year's local elections. Mr Sargeant met with Mr. John Joe Conwell of the West on Track steering committee, as well as local Green Party Candidates Niall O'Brolcháin, Diarmain Mulcahy, Siobhán Nevin and Kieran Cunnane. Other members of the West on Track Committee were in Dublin accepting a National award for their efforts on the same day. Mr Sargeant welcomed recent positive press statements saying that the penny is finally starting to drop about the need for this project. Mr Sargeant who commutes daily by train from North Co. Dublin to the Dail, said he does not see why people cannot be doing the same in the West of Ireland.

Green Candidates Niall O‚ Brolcháin and Kieran Cunnane stated Galway Greens were among the first to promote a vision of what this project can achieve. The economic benefits in comparison with similar costed road projects speak for themselves. More than ten times as much distance can be covered for the same cost. In addition, it will be the most significant rural revitalisation project in the History of the State, servicing the entire western seaboard. With new towns becoming hubs, there is a knock on affect for the rest of the BMR region.

Mr Cunnane, who grew up near Claremorris stated: "Along this track we see people commuting from as far as Claremorris, Ballinrobe, Dunmore and Tuam to the North, and Ennis, Shannon and Gort to the South. We have weekly commuters from all corners of the Country, tourists and Rail freight to consider as well. It takes a very long time to get freight from Rosslare to the North West at present, and this could easily be resolved by improving the rail services. The N17 is the busiest commuting route outside of Dublin. We, in the Greens, say that without this project, the National Spatial Strategy is merely lip service, but with it everything can happen so much faster. We cannot keep building roads which perpetuate pollution, will cause Greenhouse Gas fines under Kyoto, and have continuously escalating costs and will be tolled due to the PPP funding. It makes far more sense to build the rail infrastructure first at a fraction of the cost. The project will also link airports at Knock, Shannon and Cork as well as Galway and Sligo."

The Greens say that there are many other benefits to quality of life, health and road safety, which are difficult to quantify fiscally, but would no doubt also have a positive impact on the economy. Mr Sargeant commended West on Track for their great work, and stated the Greens were full square behind them in their endeavours.