This article is from page 8 of the 2013-08-06 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 8 JPG
A STAND-OFF between Iarnród Éireann and the Department of Transport has resulted in the shelving of planned Crusheen rail stop on the Western Rail Corridor.
Construction work on the Crusheen station, which has been the subject of the major local campaign for almost 10 years, was due to begin this year but works will now not get going until 2014 at the earliest. The stand-off centres around the € 2.1 million price tag for the station with the Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar (FG), insisting that Iarnród Éireann find a way of cutting the construction costs.
The rail company insist that a full € 2.1 million will be needed to complete the long awaited project – resulting in a stand off.
In a written Dáil reply to Clare Fianna Fáil’s transport spokesman Timmy Dooley, Minister Varadkar said there was no money at present to fund the station.
“My department’s capital funding for rail infrastructure was reduced last year in order to support the emergency funding required for the CIE Group.
“As a result of the reduced capital funding, Irish Rail have had to reevaluate their planned capital programme to 2016, with the priority being to protect existing assets and to maintain safety standards,” he said.
“In the context of this, I have asked Irish Rail to revisit their current proposals for Crusheen rail stop which have a construction cost of in the order of € 2m and see if a lower cost alternative is feasible.
“It is my intention to provide for a rail stop at Crusheen.”
Earlier this year Clare County Council granted planning permission for the long awaited station at Crusheen. While overall passengers on the Western Rail Corridor have been slightly below projects – the number of people using the commuter sections of the line – such as between Ennis and Limerick and Athenry and Galway have exceeded all expectation.
It has been projected that a strong commuter demand between Cursheen and Ennis will help make this station a success.
An Iarnród Éireann spokesperson said there was “limited scope” to reduce the cost of the Crusheen Station.