A passenger train travelled between Limerick and Galway for the first time in 34 years on Monday. Nicola Corless witnessed the historic event and spoke to those on the train and the platforms about the reopening of the Western Rail Corridor

IT had the look of a match day. Car parking spaces were at a premium and families were huddling together under umbrellas walking hastily up the approach road to Sixmilebridge station.
The crowd was tightly packed in the platform-side marquee for the cup of tea and a muffin. It was a Monday morning in a recession and the first day of the Easter school holidays.
Families gathered: children, parents and grandparents, to witness a historic event in the development of their village, their county and their region.
Brightly coloured jackets, wool hats and rain-battered faces spilled from the marquee to the platform where old and young sheltered under umbrellas at full stretch as the wind tried to pry the black plastic handles from freezing hands.
Ears were straining against the whipping wet wind, all straining to hear a hint of the train pulling into the station.
“I came to see the train finally stop at Sixmilebridge. I’ve been living here since 1975 and I hope the reopening of the line will be good for business,” said Gerry Kearney of Bridgeside B&B.
Graham Kennedy has lived in Sixmilebridge for seven years. He too is happy to see the intercity line and the local station reopening but would like to see more infrastructure coming to the area.
“Connectivity to the towns and cities on the line is great. It gives independence to teenagers for one thing. Hopefully there will be a spur for Shannon but I’m sure Dublin Airport will have to get one first,” he said.
Vying for a good position, making sure to have a view of the line and preferably some shelter, people settled into their positions. The calm was short lived however. Just after the train was due, security ushered the excited public from the platform, a safe distance from the expected arrival and invited guests.
In the rush there were some casualties – political ones at least. Deputy Timmy Dooley and Councillor James Breen were amongst the masses swept from the platform. Luckily both quickly recovered and made it back to their positions on the platform.
People, as one woman put it “without the golden ticket”, grappled with the bars separating them from their previous positions and the politicians. They waited, many in saturated coats and jackets, some silent others vocal in their disappointment. As the minutes ticked past the scheduled arrival time, jokes abounded about the service starting as it means to go on.
As the rain and wind continued, few looked in their goodie bags to find the disposable plastic macs Iarnród Eireann had provided in anticipation of the Irish climate’s reaction to outdoor events.
Sixmilebridge parish priest, Fr Harry Bohan, a strong advocate of rural development, believes that the reopening of the Limerick to Galway line will have a very positive impact on communities on the route and Sixmilebridge, with a new station is in an ideal position to bloom.
“A railway station is to a community what an airport is to a country or a region. So the opening of the station is obviously going to be a huge benefit to the people of Sixmilebridge and Cratloe and the surrounding areas. As well as facilitating people to travel out of Clare, it will also facilitate the growth of a lot of businesses within the county. For example, there is a big move on at the moment to reopen the mart in Sixmilebridge but the vision for the mart is that it would mean an upsurge for the agri-industry business. The station could make a huge contribution to all that and bring people to do business in Sixmilebridge,” he said.
As the train edged closer, local resident Donal Keane recalled when the train stopped at the ‘Bridge station prior to its closure in 1963. 
“I used to come when the train stopped here before and collect a 100 weight bag of sugar. Myself and Tom Earles, who was the porter, would lift them out and put them in to the back of the van and bring them back to the shop. I had to go then and measure the sugar out into different weights. There was so much work in it that there was no margin on it in the end, not like the tea, that came prepacked,” he remembered.
For independent county councillor and former mayor of Clare, Patricia McCarthy, Monday’s launch and station reopening was a particularly special day. Her late father was the last stationmaster at Sixmilebridge and she herself was raised beside the tracks after her family moved from West Clare.
“I arrived here in 1959 and we got four years here when it was a working station. It is part of my identity. The railway has always been part of our lives and before coming here, my dad had worked on the West Clare Railway,” she recalled.
“It was interesting to grow up in a railway station. It was seen as an important part of village life and the station master was seen as an important person,” she added.
Acting mayor on the day and Sixmilebridge businessman John Crowe said it was a proud day for him and for the village.
“The opening of the Limerick to Galway rail line and the stop at Sixmilebridge will be fantastic for business. We are really looking forward to the influx of people, to the area. It will be a hub for the South East Clare area,” he said.
“The West of Ireland needs a chance and we will prove them wrong. This will be a very successful line,” he concluded.
Two hoots from Sixmilebridge man and driver Tony Ryan, followed by loud cheers from the crowd, marked the arrival of the first passenger train to stop at the station for 37 years.
“This is well overdue,” he told The Clare Champion, adding “people worked hard for it and now they have to use it and to make it work.”
The Ministers, Dempsey and Ó Cuiv, and Minister of State Cuffe alighted in a surge for the unveiling of a plaque to commemorate the historic day. It was over in minutes. There was some palm squeezing and fast photo opportunities as the rain continued to pelt down, before the ministers, Iarnród Eireann officials and the entourage stepped back onto the train for a repeat performance at Enins, Gort, Ardrahan, Craughwell, Athenry and Galway.

Minister strikes back at media criticism

Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey and West on Track campaigner Colmán Ó Raghallaigh were critical of national media coverage of the project and were eager to silence the project’s detractors at Monday’s Western Rail Corridor launch.
The infrastructure project was the subject of much criticism at national level since it was announced under Transport 21 and more recently after it was reported that the service would run at a loss for the first five years.
During his speech on Monday, Minister Dempsey criticised some coverage of the development of the Western Rail Corridor and gave assurances that the line would eventually extend to Sligo.
“The overwhelming feeling you get from all that commentary was cynicism, sarcasm and ‘it’ll never happen’. Well, we are here. Phase one is here, it has been done and equally phase two and three and four will be done and there is that commitment from the Government to ensure they are done,” he said.
“I believe if we are ever going to rebalance and get a proper balance between east and west in this country that we have to provide projects some of which may not look like they are going to balance books. From a euros and cents point of view some of them may not show that but from a provision of infrastructure point of view, to make it attractive for people to stay in the West of Ireland, for young people to stay here and go to college here and to work here and to build up the West of Ireland that can’t be balanced out or counted out in a euros and cents. The benefits projects like this bring to the West of Ireland and the whole of Ireland cannot be underestimated… So we are committed to the remaining stages of the Western Rail Corridor,” the Minister continued.
Colmán Ó Raghallaigh from lobby group West on Track was equally vocal in his defence of the project.
“Since the West on Track campaign began, there has been much ill-informed and disparaging comment from famous or, dare I say infamous, economic commentators and consultants. These people should be ashamed of themselves. The truth is the Western Rail Corridor is being delivered for a tiny fraction of the cost of other road and rail projects in Transport 21,” he claimed.
“We have heard the project described as, amongst other things, a vanity project, a toy railway and an idiotic waste of tax payers’ money. We are not idiotic, rather we are patriotic. At a time when our county is experiencing a crisis of confidence, the work that is coming to fruition now serves to remind us of what people, the Government and State agencies can achieve by working together. If the same spirit and model were to be applied to all areas of our county we would soon see a very different Ireland.
Today is a day of celebration for all people of good will and a victory for positive thinking,” Mr Ó Raghallaigh concluded.

 

New link must be supported

The first phase of the Western Rail Corridor between Limerick and Galway must be supported in terms of passenger numbers if phases two, three and four are to go ahead, Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey hinted on Monday.
Whilst the Minister stressed the Government’s commitment to the completion of the Western Rail Corridor that it is planned will eventually link Limerick and Sligo he added that it was vital that passengers used the service so he could get support from his cabinet colleagues for the next phases of the infrastructure project.
“This is a truly historic day for the West of Ireland,” Minister Dempsey said at the launch. “For the first time in over 30 years passenger trains will again run between Limerick and Galway. It is the longest section of track to be re-opened in the entire country and it is also the first Inter-City line to be re-opened.”
“I would like to acknowledge the dedication and vision of the various groups and organisations that have worked over the years. I cannot overstate the critical importance of local support for Phase 1 of the Western Rail Corridor in promoting the development of Phase 2 and 3,” he added.
Previewing the service, CIÉ and Iarnród Éireann Chairman, Dr John Lynch said there is tremendous public support for the new service. “We have boosted capacities on trains throughout launch week such is the level of enquiries from people and we are very confident that demand will easily outstrip the projections made.”
The take up on the new service between Ennis and Galway was strong in its opening days according to Tony Browne, stationmaster in Ennis.
“The first train on Tuesday morning left a little early and people didn’t travel. It went at 6.40am. There were 70 on the 10.14 train by the time it arrived here and another 60 or so boarded here,” Mr Browne outlined.
He added his voice to calls for the service to be used, “people have been crying out for this now that it is there we are hopeful people will use it. It takes the stress out of going to Galway when you let someone else do the driving and bring you right into the heart of the city,” he concluded.
An adult single ticket or day return from Ennis to Galway costs €17.40 while a weekly return is €28.50. Information on timetables can be found on www.irishrail.ie.

 

Rail return offers lifeline to Gort businesses

The reopening of the Western Rail Corridor and the inclusion of a stop in Gort could offer a lifeline to businesses in South Galway.
Paddy Grealish, chairman of the Gort Chamber of Commerce, told The Clare Champion that the location of the station is a key advantage in the town.
“This is going to be a great addition for the businesses in the town and, of course, for the people. The reopening of the line is a welcome boost for the area especially considering it is so close to shops and businesses. There is such easy access to the station, it is in the centre of the town and there is lots of parking,” he said.
Michael O’Grady, businessman and proprietor of Lady Gregory Hotel in Gort, pointed out that the challenge now is to market the rail access and encourage people to come into South Galway.
“It is a major challenge for us in the hotel to package it and get people using it. We would hope to be able to package group trips here and that sort of thing. We have so much to offer in South Galway, Kilmacduagh, Thoor Ballylee, and Coole Park. We have so much history in South Galway and that has been under-sold for years and we hope this is the turning point,” he concluded.
Auctioneer and former Galway county councillor, Michael Cunningham, also travelled on Monday’s launch train.
“It is a historic day and an extra infrastructure for the town of Gort. The reopening of the railway is a great boost for the area and it is a great boost for the West of Ireland. You hear about railways opening in the east of the country but not in the West. There is a treat in store for people who have yet to try it. It is very comfortable and I hope it will be used by a lot of people,” he said.
Fianna Fáil councillor Gerry Finnerty hadn’t travelled by rail in nearly 30 years.
“This is brilliant because the last time I was on a train it was in 1983 and that was a special train that was put on for the All Ireland, which we lost,” he said. “Today is brilliant and the infrastructure has improved so much. It is a lap of luxury really.”
“We often say we are short this and we are short that but at the end of the day Gort doesn’t lack that much. We have a new road and rail infrastructure coming on stream, we have schools and in terms of retail and services we have a great selection of shops and restaurants. What we have to do is get people in and develop the town further,” he said.
The dominance of road travel in South Galway was something former Galway County Mayor Peter Feeney also remarked on.
“Athenry from Gort is 20 miles and so rail travel was ruled out for people in South Galway up to now. With the line reopened you can get on the train in Gort now and travel to Dublin if you wish. For those who knock the West and these sort of infrastructure projects I’d say to them we still aren’t back to where we were in 1870 when you could travel all the way from Limerick to Sligo by train.”
Fine Gael councillor and Galway County Deputy Mayor Bridie Willers welcomed the reopening of the rail line but added that trains had to be a the right times and the right price to attract people to use the service.
“We won’t settle for anything less than a line all the way to Sligo,” she concluded.