West=On=Track -News

West on Track welcomes opening of
Oranmore Railway Station

The new Oranmore Railway Station was officially opened on July 29th 2013 by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Mr Leo Varadkar.

Members of West on Track pictured with Transport Minister Leo Varadkar TD and Jim Meade, Director, Rail Undertaking, Iarnród Éireann.

The new station is part of the development of Phase 1 of the Western Rail Corridor and will be served by a mixture of Galway/Dublin and Galway/Athenry/Limerick services, with 23 services calling at the station daily (Mon-Fri), 22 on Saturdays, and 15 on Sundays. The journey time from Oranmore to Galway is just seven minutes, and customers can travel to Limerick, Dublin and a range of intermediate stations also.

"We warmly congratulate the Government and Iarnród Éireann on continuing the development of western rail infrastructure and we expect that the new station will add to passenger numbers on both the Galway-Dublin and Galway-Limerick routes as well as boosting commuter numbers into Galway city. We also look forward to the opening of Crusheen station in Co. Clare for which planning permission has recently been granted to Iarnród Éireann," a West on Track spokesman said.

At the official opening of Oranmore Station were L-R Collr. Peter Feeney (West on Track), David Franks CEO Iarnród Éireann, Gerry Culligan, Commercial Director Iarnród Éireann and Colmón Ó Raghallaigh (West on Track).

There are some time changes to the Galway/Dublin and Galway/Limerick timetables from Sunday July 28, to accommodate the new station and to improve punctuality further on the route. Customers are advised to check all departure times before travel.

Oranmore Station is the 144th station on the Iarnród Éireann network and will feature a platform and ticket vending machine, with help points for those with mobility and sensory impairments. Bicycle parking and car parking facilities will also be provided. The car park will be owned and operated by Galway County Council and will provide 300 free parking spaces at the station.

The original Oranmore station was opened in 1851 by the MGWR on its route from Dublin to Galway. The station was open until the rationalization of the railway network by CIE (Córas Iompair Éireann) saw it closed in 1963, with the building sold as a private residence.