It is time to renew the proposal to build the GLUAS light-rail line, Galway West by-election independent candidate Sheila Garrity said this week.
Stressing that the GLUAS makes economic as well as environmental sense, Ms Garrity is calling for revising the Sectoral Investment Plan for Transport 2026-2030 to include the GLUAS as a priority project.
The GLUAS project, which advocates for an Oranmore to Knocknacarra light-rail transit system, proposed an annual capacity of 7.5-13 million passengers, and the potential to reduce private car journeys by 10% to 37.5%.
“Imagine life in Galway with a third fewer cars on our congested roads?” Ms Garrity said.
“A 2024 feasibility study found that such a public transportation system to ease traffic congestion in Galway City was viable, with an estimated cost over €1.23 billion. However, the National Transportation Authority (NTA ) has stated there is no formal plan for funding.
“Yet, two announcements over the past week should be seen as catalysts to progress the GLUAS project for Galway West, Ms Garrity said.
A report released Monday by the World Meteorological Organisation described 2025 as the “worst year for climate change” with increasing energy released in the form of heat warming oceans, raising sea levels, and creating conditions for more and stronger storms.
“The burning of fossil fuels is a driver of this excessive heat,” she added.
Sheila Garrity said the second announcement was from the government, and highlights our continued reliance on fossil fuels and private vehicles.
“Seeking to address rising energy costs, due to international conflicts, and to ease financial pressure on drivers and households, the government has announced reductions in excise duties on fuel, an extended fuel allowance payment, and support for road hauliers. These are short-term reliefs that should ease some of the current cost-of-living pressure.
“But if we recall the global oil crises of the 1970s, forward looking Governments grasped the opportunity to reshape people’s habits by enacting radical public transport projects in the face of increasing oil costs,” Ms Garrity said. “We now have both increasing fossil fuel costs and the sharp awareness of the destructive impact of fossil fuel use on our environment – the time is right to look at progressive solutions.”
Earlier this month, the Climate Change Advisory Council described the GLUAS as “essential investment for new public transport infrastructure to address congestion and emissions” while the cost of traffic congestion to the local economy, currently estimated at €35.3 million, will treble to €106.9 million by 2040.
