Proponents of a light rail system for Galway have accused the city council’s Chief Executive of reneging on previous commitments to support the project.
It is understood that Chief Executive Leonard Cleary was asked earlier this month by the then-mayor Cllr Mike Cubbard why the council had not expressed support for a feasibility study, with a view to identifying a preferred route, in its submission to the Northern and Western Regional Assembly’s Spatial & Economic Strategy Consultation Paper.
In a statement, the Gluas group – who advocate for the development of a light rail system in Galway, said that they had been given to understand that support for the study would be included in the submission and that the Chief Executive “did not answer the question directly” when he was asked about it.
“They didn’t put it in even though they told representatives from Gluas that they would put in some form of words supporting the advancement of the light rail project,” said Gluas group chairman Brendan Mulligan when speaking to the Advertiser.
Mr Mulligan also said that the Chief Executive had declined to explicitly express his support for the light rail project.
“He didn’t actually answer the question that the mayor put, and he didn’t expressly make a public expression of support for advancing the light rail, so that’s why the Gluas people are quite vexed, to put it mildly” he said.
Mr Mulligan voiced concern that a lack of explicit support for the project from the city council could undermine the viability of it.
“As time goes by, there are more and more projects around the country that are competing with light rail for Galway, so the longer we leave it, the more competition we’re up against.
“If you were in the NTA or you were at government level, why would you offer to deliver something to Galway if the city council doesn’t want it.”
The Gluas chair also said that the drafting of a preferred route was a matter of urgency and he believed there was a reluctance among council officials to be too demanding regarding transport infrastructure in Galway, in case it might undermine the development of the ring road.
“There is always a danger that if you don’t identify a preferred route and protect it in the development plan, something is going to get built across it at some stage, and hinders development in the future,” he said.
“I think they’re afraid to be seen to express support for any transport project other than the ring road, in case it might undermine the case for the ring road. It’s all about fear,” he concluded.
Galway City Council was approached for comment.
