News
Rail freight traffic has potential to quadruple
There is potential to quadruple rail freight traffic in the West of Ireland, according to the Western Development Commission (WDC).
In a new report, ‘Rail Freight and the Western Region’, WDC says there is scope to increase the tonnage of rail freight in the region from 2.5 million tonnes now to six million tonnes per annum by 2035 and 10 million tonnes per annum by 2050.
It also said that in the short-term, there is scope “to almost double the number of trains operating to and from the Western Region, from an average of four per day, two in each direction, adding a further 2.8 to 3.7 trainloads per day, within an overall addressable market for rail of up to 24 trainloads per day.”
However, it noted that achieving the upper-end of that scale, “will require significant investment and support from public and private sectors.”
Meanwhile, campaigners against the re-opening of the Western Rail Corridor, have welcomed the report and say the growth forecasts in it are “speculation”.
The WDC report identifies Galway city as a ‘cluster’ that could help to drive growth in rail freight traffic.
“Galway City is the largest population centre in the Western region and the fourth largest in Ireland, suggesting at the very least a major source of demand for consumer goods. The major retailers are present (Aldi, Dunnes, Lidl and Tesco) together with other retailers in the city centre and at the Galway Shopping Centre to the north of the city (including Halfords, Currys, Argos, Woodies, B&Q).
“Other major local manufacturers and companies within a 6km radius which may offer rail traffic potential include Beckman Coulter Ireland (healthcare), Boston Scientific (healthcare), DPD Ireland (logistics), Hewlett Packard (ICT), Oran Precast (building products), Roadstone (aggregates) and Thermo King Ingersoll Rand (heating and ventilation),” it said.
The report notes that goods vehicles account for 1,200 per day on the M6 east of Galway near Athenry.
“Traffic levels on other routes are significant, in the order of 810 goods vehicles per day on the N17 to the north, 240 per day on the N84 to the north, 140 on the N59 to the north-west and 650 on the N18 to the south,” the report said.
Analysis in the report suggests there is potential for one or two trainloads of freight per day each way in Galway “which could be a mixture of port, local manufacturing and retailer traffic.”
In relation to Galway, it added: “The station retains sidings and land which could be used in the short term for rail freight handling, albeit space constraints would impact on the length and capacity of trains which could be handled. Galway Harbour Company has indicated it would be willing to open up any future quayside rail freight facilities for non-port traffic for local business if required.
“Alternatively, it might be possible to develop facilities as part of the proposed harbour expansion, or near the Westlink commercial park /Oranmore Business Park/ Deerpark Industrial Estate, linked to the N18/R446 interchange. Construction of the new M6/M18 interchange could offer a further opportunity to create a new strategic rail-linked distribution park, with the IDA already promoting a 27 hectare strategic site in the local area, primarily for biopharmaceutical manufacturing.”
The Western Rail Trail campaigners have welcomed the report, which acknowledges “proposals exist to establish a greenway for pedestrians and cyclists” on the closed railway line from Collooney to Athenry which has been closed since 1975.
The group said there is nothing in the report to suggest there will be a demand for more railways.
Brendan Quinn of the Western Rail Trail campaign said: “Even with the realistic potential increase in volume it would be hard to justify new railway lines and we feel sure it will not lead to any further investment in new freight routes. However, if the potential does exist in the future, the importance of protecting the route of the closed railway from Collooney to Athenry, ideally with a greenway is now paramount.
“We think this report will really confirm Government policy not to re-open the Western Rail Corridor, as the realistic forecasts for rail freight are still quite low and the speculative forecasts really have no foundation apart from pure speculation.
“The greenway campaign would also support upgrading existing railway routes with better and longer passing loops allowing longer freight trains to and from the Western Region, and rail freight hubs to ensure the existing routes are fully utilised for freight and intermodal transport. This kind of rail investment is probably realistic and will help increase rail freight to and from the West.”
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
On the eve of completing his 150th marathon, an odyssey that has taken him across 53 countries, Loughrea’s Marathon Man has announced that he is planning to hang up his running shoes.
But not before Jarlath Fitzgerald completes another ten races, making it 160 marathons on the occasion of his 60th birthday.
“I want to draw the line in 2026. I turn 57 in October and when I reach 60 it’s the finishing line. The longer races are taking it out of me. I did 20 miles there two weeks ago and didn’t feel good. It’s getting harder,” he reveals.
“I’ve arthritis in both hips and there’s wear and tear in the knees.”
We speak as he is about to head out for a run before his shift in Supervalu Loughrea. Despite his physical complaints, he still clocks up 30 miles every second week and generally runs four days a week.
Jarlath receives injections to his left hip to keep the pain at bay while running on the road.
To give his joints a break, during the winter he runs cross country and often does a five-mile trek around Kylebrack Wood.
He is planning on running his 150th marathon in Cork on June 4, where a group of 20 made up of work colleagues, friends and running mates from Loughrea Athletics Club will join him.
Some are doing the 10k, others are doing the half marathon, but all will be there on the finishing line to cheer him on in the phenomenal achievement.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
From the Galway City Tribune – An impassioned plea for a ‘masterplan’ that would guide Galway City into the future has been made in the Dáil. Galway West TD Catherine Connolly stated this week that there needed to be an all-inclusive approach with “vision and leadership” in order to build a sustainable city.
Deputy Connolly spoke at length at the crisis surrounding traffic and housing in Galway city and said that not all of the blame could be laid at the door of the local authority.
She said that her preference would be the provision of light rail as the main form of public transport, but that this would have to be driven by the government.
“I sat on the local council for 17 years and despaired at all of the solutions going down one road, metaphorically and literally. In 2005 we put Park & Ride into the development plan, but that has not been rolled out. A 2016 transport strategy was outdated at the time and still has not been updated.
“Due to the housing crisis in the city, a task force was set up in 2019. Not a single report or analysis has been published on the cause of the crisis,” added Deputy Connolly.
She then referred to a report from the Land Development Agency (LDA) that identified lands suitable for the provision of housing. But she said that two-thirds of these had significant problems and a large portion was in Merlin Park University Hospital which, she said, would never have housing built on it.
In response, Minister Simon Harris spoke of the continuing job investment in the city and also in higher education, which is his portfolio.
But turning his attention to traffic congestion, he accepted that there were “real issues” when it came to transport, mobility and accessibility around Galway.
“We share the view that we need a Park & Ride facility and I understand there are also Bus Connects plans.
“I also suggest that the City Council reflect on her comments. I am proud to be in a Government that is providing unparalleled levels of investment to local authorities and unparalleled opportunities for local authorities to draw down,” he said.
Then Minister Harris referred to the controversial Galway City Outer Ring Road which he said was “struck down by An Bord Pleanála”, despite a lot of energy having been put into that project.
However, Deputy Connolly picked up on this and pointed out that An Bord Pleanála did not say ‘No’ to the ring road.
“The High Court said ‘No’ to the ring road because An Bord Pleanála acknowledged it failed utterly to consider climate change and our climate change obligations.
“That tells us something about An Bord Pleanála and the management that submitted such a plan.”
In the end, Minister Harris agreed that there needed to be a masterplan for Galway City.
“I suggest it is for the local authority to come up with a vision and then work with the Government to try to fund and implement that.”
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
