Train station overhaul only tip of the iceberg

Plans for a multi-million euro overhaul of Ceannt Station which have been given the green light by Galway City Council, are only the ‘tip of the iceberg’ for the 15-acre site, according to CIE.
However, the transport company is refusing to clarify the extent of their long-term plans for the site. Planners have just approved an application for extended platforms, modern retail units, new glazed entrances and state-of-the-art ticketing areas at the train and bus station.
Planners had demanded to know the future plans for the site – the previous €800 million proposals for a ‘New Galway’ which were shelved in 2012 by the National Transport Authority after it failed to raise funding from worldwide investment funds.
CIE indicated that the long-term plans are still a priority, but not at such an ‘early stage of the economic recovery’.
“The 2006-08 proposals were prepared to develop the bus and rail facilities in tandem with a commercial development on the overall site.
“This proposal included 25 bus bays, a new bus station, new rail station with new roof and platform arrangement.
“The proposed site development consisted of a large mixed-use including basement carparking, retail, residential and public uses.
“The overall development of the site remains an important objective for CIE, but it would be premature to fully define the overall site development including use mixes, heights and phasing given the early stage of the economic recovery,” CIE told the Council.
The original plans for the train station were expected to create around 3,000 permanent jobs, as well as hundreds during construction.
The plans involved around 600,000 square feet of retail space, more than 200 residential units, bars, cafés, restaurants and cultural space.
For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.