New city tourist train is on the right track

It mightn’t exactly be the famous Tennessee, Chattanooga Choo-Choo but the city’s new road train – that chugged into operation last weekend – is proving to be a big hit with the tourists and leisurely classes of Galway.

The city tourist train is the brainchild of Galway man Terry Mannion and his Kilkenny born wife, Ellen, bringing passengers on a 50-minute guided tour of the city and Salthill, with recorded musical interludes along the way, including, of course, Galway Bay and The Galway Girl.

“I had worked as a carpenter for a number of years but following the downturn in the construction industry over recent years, the choice I faced was either to emigrate to Canada or come up with something here in Ireland.

“Last year, when I was in Kilkenny, I saw how popular the road train down there was, and I thought to myself that this was just ‘made’ for Galway, but it has taken a lot of work to turn the dream into a reality,” Terry Mannion told the Galway City Tribune.

It took a solid 12 months of behind-the-scenes homework to get the train up and running, involving detailed consultation and scheduling with the City Council, County Council, Gardai, Dept. of Transport and other statutory bodies.

Terry (32), originally from Dangan close to Barnaderg and Abbeyknockmoy in North Galway, is delighted with the success of his first week’s work, that coincided nicely with a fabulous spell of Mediterranean weather . . . but the train is not just for the tourist season.

Pick-up point for the 50-minute round trip is at the corner of Eyre Square close to Richardsons before the 17.5 metre long choo-choo – powered by a 2.2 litre diesel engine – snakes its way over the Salmon Weir Bridge, on through Lower Salthill before turning back for ‘home’ at Blackrock. There is also a pick-up point at the Salthill Atlantaquaria.

See this week’s Galway City Tribune for more