Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)

I thank Senator Kyne for putting forward this very important topic. Being a Galway man, I understand the problems we have with traffic in Galway city, which affects the entire region to say the least. At the outset I must state that any proposals for Gluas or light rail for Galway are intrinsically linked to the development of the Galway metropolitan area transport strategy. We will call this GMATS from now on rather than reading it all out again. The National Transport Authority, NTA, has commenced the updating of the Galway transport strategy, which was adopted in 2016. The updated GMATS is being developed in conjunction with Galway city and county council. The GMATS will provide a long-term strategic plan framework for the delivery of transport and the integrated development of transport infrastructure and services in the Galway metropolitan area. It would align with all of the existing national, regional and local policy and guidance.

As part of this process, and in addition to the need for a strategic roads feasibility study, the NTA identified the requirement for a light rail feasibility study to better understand the general feasibility for light rail in the Galway metropolitan area, and to investigate potential indicative alignments. The final report of this study was published on 30 October 2024 for information and this will now form part of the analysis used to inform the development of the GMATS, alongside recommendations for active travel, bus services, rail, roads and demand management measures. The light rail feasibility study is not intended to specifically identify a preferred alignment of a light rail corridor in the city. Instead, the final report explores key issues and potential feasibility. The important thing is that this feasibility study has shown that there could, under the right conditions, be a case for developing a light rail system in Galway. The analysis, presented in the final report, identified an east-west corridor through the city, which would be likely to have the strongest potential for light rail. However, the route options in the study are preliminary, and indicative by design, and would need to be explored further in line with the appropriate transport scheme development and appraisal guidance, following any decision to further progress light rail for the city.

In addition to examining potential alignment options, the feasibility study explored the technical parameters of light rail in terms of the capacity of different types of vehicles, typical dimensions, and infrastructure requirements.There are also emerging developments in the sector, including more innovative forms of very light rail, vLRT. These emerging technologies were also considered in the final report.

The findings from this study, along with a strategic roads feasibility study, will inform the development of GMATS, which will undergo full environmental assessment and public consultation. This comprehensive, multimodal approach aims to address Galway's transport needs holistically rather than through the narrow prism of one specific mode.

At this stage, it is not considered appropriate to attempt to forecast the future costs, due to uncertainties about when the project would be delivered and uncertainties about future construction price inflation.

As the Senator will be aware, in January 2023, the High Court remitted the application for approval of the N6 Galway city ring road to An Coimisiún Pleanála, formerly An Bord Pleanála, for further consideration. An Coimisiún Pleanála has asked Galway County Council to provide additional information in relation to the planning consent application for the ring road and this information was submitted on 15 April 2025.

The NTA considers it appropriate to await An Coimisiún Pleanála's determination on the resubmitted N6 Galway ring road application. The NTA will then review the timeline and publication date for the GMATS when this determination has been made. Implementation of any recommendations identified in the strategy will be subject to the availability of funding and Government approval. In the meantime, implementation will continue on the current Galway transport strategy. A significant amount of planning and design has already taken place, which will enable construction early in the coming years across active travel, bus and rail-related projects including, importantly, on Galway BusConnects, the ongoing redevelopment of Ceannt Station and the improvements planned for Oranmore station and track infrastructure. Also, the western rail corridor, as the Senator mentioned, between Athenry and Claremorris will be considered in the context of the implementation of the all-island rail review.