Oranmore could finally get its long awaited new trains station as construction is poised to begin as early as next October according to Fine Gael Galway West TD Brian Walsh.
Tender documents are currently being finalised for the development of the station at Garraun in Oranmore, which, Dep Walsh says, “will be welcomed as a viable alternative for thousands of commuters from the surrounding area”.
It is estimated that up to 65,000 vehicles travel the N6, R339, and the Oranmore Coast Road to Galway city every day.
The Galway County Council is in the process of completing designs for an access road and carpark at the facility, which the local authority will operate and maintain following its completion in the first half of next year.
Dep Walsh said the reopening of a train station in Oranmore would provide “a major boost for the locality” and help to alleviate traffic congestion east of Galway city.
“I’m delighted the development of a train station in Oranmore is being progressed as a priority by the Department of Transport,” he said. “I look forward to the facility providing an attractive alternative for commuters in the area.”
Dep Walsh also said that the new station would also provide an economic boost for the area.
“In addition to the established Galway to Dublin route, more than 250,000 passengers travelled between Limerick and Galway since the opening of the Western Rail Corridor last year,” he said. “Increased connectivity and accessibility will benefit business in Oranmore.”
The Department of Transport has also announced plans to build an additional station on the Limerick to Galway route at Crusheen, Clare, while Iarnród Éireann is devising measures to reduce travel times along the routes.
The number of level crossings along the route has been reduced from 150 to 33 and the construction of overbridges and access roads will continue to allow the closure of the remaining crossings.
There is also work planned on the line to remove a speed restriction at Ardrahan and two other locations on the Galway to Limerick route in the third quarter of this year
