Knockcroghery station reopening being considered as part of national rail review

Transport Minister Eamon Ryan has confirmed that a proposal to re-open Knockcroghery Railway Station is being looked as part of a current All-Island strategic rail review.

Minister Ryan’s confirmation came by way of letter, which was read out at the June meeting of Athlone Municipal District. The letter was in reply to a proposal submitted to the minister by Cllr Donal Kilduff to establish if a feasibility study could be carried out on the possibility of reopening the Knockcroghery rail line.

Seamus Lough, senior executive engineer with Roscommon County Council, informed the meeting that Cllr Kilduff’s proposal was being looked at in the overall context of the All-Island strategic rail review.

At a meeting of the Municipal District earlier this year, Cllr Kilduff had called for the re-opening of Knockcroghery station, which has been closed for more than half a century. At that meeting, he said it was appropriate to seek its reopening considering the many changes happening lately, including a recent report on emissions and climate change.

He believed reopening the rail station would “tie in with the expansion of the greenway network” and would great benefit the many people who are now successfully working from home since the pandemic. At that Municipal District meeting in March, councillors supported Cllr Kilduff’s proposal to write a letter to the Transport Minister exploring the possibility of a feasibility study being carried out.

In his recent reply, Minister Ryan said in his letter to the Municipal District that the national strategic rail review was “considering the scope for improved rail services and infrastructure, including stations, along the various existing corridors. The scope also considers potential future corridors of the network including disused and closed lines.” The Minister said that he expected that the final review would be published in the autumn.

Cllr Kilduff told the June meeting that he was delighted to see that his proposal, which had merit, was being assessed. “If the infrastructure is there and the services are there, people will use them. I have no doubt that if Knockcroghery station reopens, people will use it, and I look forward to the outcome of the review,” he said.