Galway Bay fm newsroom – The Western Rail Corridor is experiencing a surge in passenger numbers and greater investment would see a huge increase in uptake of the service.
That’s according to West on Track, which says an independent report shows that over 100,000 people travelled the route between Athenry and Ennis during 2015.
The study was carried out by Cicero Communications with co-operation from Iarnród Éireann and counted passenger numbers over 8 days in November.
The group says that the total number of passengers travelling between Athenry and Ennis doubled last year – despite running fewer trains than originally projected.
Meanwhile, more than quarter of a million people travelled between Galway and Limerick during the same period.
Last year, the Government indicated that it would not be expanding the Western Rail Corridor – and would instead simply maintain the operational network.
Spokesperson Colmán O Raghallaigh says the route has surpassed the targets set in the business case and greater investment is required.