A motion to support the drafting of potential routes for a light rail system in Galway will be considered by county councillors next Monday.
The motion is being proposed by Councillor Declan Kelly of Independent Ireland and seconded by Councillor Tomás Ó Curraoin of Republican Sinn Féin.
If adopted, the county council will formally urge the National Transport Authority (NTA ) to “explore the potential route options with the aim of identifying an Emerging Preferred Route for Light Rail in the Galway Metropolitan Area as soon as possible.”
“I’m from the east of the county, and the man who’s seconding it is Councillor Tomás Ó Curraoin, he’s from the west. So when you’re seeing buy-in from two public representatives that are in the east and west of the county, I think you get an idea of how much we think it’s a perfect fit for Galway,” said Cllr Kelly when speaking to the Advertiser.
“The benefits of it have been well-rehearsed already in terms of the reduction in transport and pollution and emissions. But most importantly, from my point of view, [it will mean] quicker get-to time for hospital appointments, for people who want to go shopping, and for visitors and so on.”
As reported in the Advertiser last month, Gluas group chairman Brendan Mulligan said he believed that some local politicians were reluctant to formally express support for any transport project other than the recently approved ring road, in case it might undermine the case for the ring road.
