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.