MacManus welcomes report outlining strong rationale for Mayo-Sligo rail line

Midlands-North West European election candidate, Chris MacManus MEP, has welcomed a second Bradley report outlining a strong economic and regional growth rationale for restoring the Mayo and Sligo rail link. 

The current sitting MEP for Midlands North-West, Chris MacManus welcomed the report, edited by former ESRI Research Professor, Dr John Bradley.

Dr Bradley described the Iarnród Éireann-owned infrastructure north of Claremorris as ‘shovel ready’.

Outlining the benefits of re-establishing the rail link, the report provides preliminary cost estimates for its restoration based on information provided by railway engineers and the previous restoration of the Ennis-Athenry line.

The Sinn Féin MEP, who is a long-standing supporter of restoring the Western Rail Corridor, has called the rail line ‘crucial’ to address regional imbalance, reverse rural decline and to meet Ireland’s climate targets.

The report estimated that the reopening of the northern section of the line would cost €411.72 million.

Mr MacManus said: “We in Sinn Féin fully support re-opening the Western Rail Corridor and connecting the West and North West region. We need any future government to have the same level of ambition for our region as this report.” 

“For too long, our region has been neglected by successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments, preventing the Atlantic Economic Corridor from reaching its full potential.” 

The MEP concluded by announcing his party's commitment to ‘comprehensively addressing the regional imbalance’, and called ‘investing and fully restoring the Western Rail Corridor’ a ‘core aspect of this’.