Fianna Fáil Transport Spokesperson and Clare TD Timmy Dooley has called on Irish Rail to engage in “bold thinking” in order to secure the future of the Western Rail Corridor.

The call comes following reports that the Government is currently reviewing the rail network with the possibility of line closures.

Deputy Dooley believes that if a proper InterCity Service was established between Cork via Limerick and Ennis and ending in Galway it would dramatically improve passenger numbers on the line.

Deputy Dooley stated, “The taxpayer has invested significantly in the Western Rail Corridor, yet Irish Rail is standing in the way of it maximising its true potential because of substandard timetables, rolling stock and journey speeds on the line. Irish Rail needs to start thinking big and bold when it comes to the Western Rail Corridor. It’s time to create an Atlantic InterCity Rail Service with the same rolling stock that is used on all other InterCity routes, not the slow commuter trains which service the Limerick to Galway line.

“Providing a proper InterCity service from Cork to Galway via Limerick and Ennis would be a game changer for rail services in the West of Ireland. Given the strong passenger numbers that already use commuter services on this route, an improved InterCity service would be of little extra cost but of huge potential benefit. The fact that you can’t get a direct train from Ireland’s second city to our third biggest city is an anomaly in any case. A reliable, fast and comfortable InterCity rail service connecting the three cities on the western seaboard is the solution to the challenge of low passenger numbers on the Western Rail Corridor. This kind of bold thinking is needed now more than ever in Irish Rail to secure the future of our rail network”.