At Monday’s meeting of Galway County Council with officials of the NTA, Cllr James Charity confirmed to the meeting that Local Link and NTA had issued confirmation that a tender for a new bus service for the North Galway region was due to issue in January 2023.
Cllr Charity, based in Annaghdown and a representative of the Athenry-Oranmore MD, has been campaigning for a new bus service for the area since 2018 following the cessation of the previous Bus Éireann service to Corrandulla village overnight without any prior notice.
He confirmed he had been in consultation with Local Link in Galway on the service, as well as co-operating with representatives in the Tuam MD on the other side of the border, including Cllr Andrew Reddington and Deputy Sean Canney, to finalise the proposed service and routes to go to tender.
The planned service will be for four returns per day between 7am and 7pm, seven days per week, and will link the following areas:
Tuam (Vicar Street )-Belclare (Opp Canavan’s )-Caherlistrane (Opp GAA )- Headford-Bunatubber/Dooley’s Shop-Peggy’s Bar, Auchloggeen-Corrandulla village-Corrandulla cross-Annaghdown cross-Lisheenanoran Cross-Clonboo-Ballindooley-Menlo/Coolough Road- Woodquay-Galway University Hospital
“This is something I’ve been chasing the NTA on since 2018,” said Cllr Charity. “I also want to thank both Cllr Reddington and Deputy Canney for their assistance, and Mr Joe Greally in Local Link here in Galway who has been liaising with the NTA to get approval for a route for a considerable period of time.
“To have a new bus service potentially going live in 2023 which will link key North Galway hubs, including Tuam to Headford, Headford to Corrandulla, and Annaghdown and Menlo, all with four returns a day to Galway City terminating at UHG, is a very welcome development and will offer public transport links that were simply non-existent previously, or which had been taken away in recent years without any local engagement,” he said.
Cllr Andrew Reddington said the Local link bus every Friday evening is working extremely well leaving Claran and heading into Galway
“I am delighted to see that this service is expanding, it is badly needed and it will do extremely well.”
