The Western Railway Corridor (WRC) in the Republic of Ireland is a recent term for a mostly disused single-track railway line running through the West of Ireland. The term was devised for the purposes of campaigning for the reopening of some or all of the route. The lobby group "West on Track" have campaigned for the entire route to be reopened. Currently only a small section from Limerick to Ennis sees regular services, with other sections either closed, or only technically open.
Strictly speaking, the Western Rail Corridor encompasses railways built by various companies throughout the late 1800s forming a line from Limerick to Sligo. The route later formed part of the Great Southern & Western Railway's operations. Towns along the WRC include Ennis, Gort, Athenry, Tuam and Claremorris. The route crosses the Dublin–Galway line at Athenry, the Dublin–Westport/Ballina line at Claremorris, and the Dublin–Sligo line at Collooney – these three routes, still open today, were once part of the Midland Great Western Railway 's operations.
Passenger services on the section of route from Claremorris to Collooney came to an end in 1963, with the section being closed completely in 1975 by Córas Iompair Éireann (the track was left in situ but severed at Collooney). Passenger services between Limerick and Claremorris ceased in 1976, but a twice-weekly service between Limerick and Ennis started again in 1988. Following track improvements, this was expanded to a further two days a week in 1993 and six days a week in 1994. In December 2003 a new seven/eight train a day service (seven days a week) started between Limerick and Ennis (connecting or continuing to/from Dublin or Limerick Junction).
Freight services ran on the Limerick to Claremorris section until the mid-1990s. In 2002 the section from Ennis to Athenry was severed at Athenry, as was Athenry to Claremorris.
A committee set up to examine the prospects for reopening some or all of the route will make recommendations in early 2005. Some have suggested that opening Ennis to Athenry for Limerick–Ennis–Galway services would be particularly viable, others have suggested using Tuam–Athenry for commuter services to Galway.
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Last updated: 10-13-2005 01:35:11
