Connacht Tribune
Replacement bridge to cost €1.2m – despite little prospect of trains
An old railway bridge that was removed to facilitate road improvement works will be replaced at a whopping cost of €1.2 million – despite the fact that the extremely slim prospect of trains running on it in the foreseeable future.
The landmark railway bridge in Ballyglunin was removed so that road realignment works can take place over the next few months with a completion date in early 2018.
But it has now been learned that there are plans to replace the bridge with one that will have the capacity to take trains – despite strong local opposition to this in view of the cost involved.
According to local Cllr Pete Roche, the cost involved would fund around 200 community schemes across the county and described as a waste of money the plan to replace the bridge to a standard that would accommodate trains.
He described it as one of the great wastes of money when a light bridge, costing a small fraction of this amount, to facilitate the provision of a walking and cycling greenway along the railway track between Tuam and Athenry would be of more economic benefit.
“At the moment we have a train service between Galway and Limerick, two of the biggest cities in the country, with a handful of passengers and there are those among us who genuinely believe that the old rail track from Sligo to Tuam has potential. They are deluded,” Cllr Roche said.
The weekend before last a large gathering of locals watched as the Ballyglunin railway bridge was removed as part of ongoing road improvement works in the area. It dates back more than 150 years ago but the metal structure took just over four minutes to remove.
The stone structure supporting the railway track was also dismantled and around two lorry loads of this were taken to Mountbellew and it is intended that it will form part of the rebuilding process sometime next year. Locals want the old stone to be an integral part of the replacement bridge.
The sound of trains going by at Ballyglunin was part of the daily routine from 1860 until the mid-1970s, when regular services came to an end along the line, due to a rationalisation programme that carried out by Iarnrod Eireann at the time.
Although a number of special trains continued to use the track into the early 1990s, the Tuam to Athenry line went completely out of commission over 20 years ago, despite the spirited efforts of rail enthusiasts to restore a service there.
For local people though, the bridge will also be remembered as the location where many lorry drivers had to bring their vehicles to ‘a full stop’, due to the 4.14 metres height limitation of the structure. Many lorries had to reverse back because they were unable to get to their destination.
The replacement bridge will be around one and a half metres higher but Cllr Roche believes that there is no necessity to have it to a standard that it can accommodate train travel. “This is a great waste of money when there will be no trains in our lifetime,” he said.
“The money being made available for the restoration of the bridge could fund 200 community projects across the whole of County Galway. We could take out bad bends on roads, provide sporting facilities where they are needed and enhance visitor attractions in our county. Instead we are putting in a railway bridge for €1.2 million that will never be used for train transport,” Cllr Roche added.
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.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
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The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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
