West=On=Track - News

Minister for Transport to announce WRC Working Group over Easter

Press Release
Wednesday March 31st 2004

The West on Track Community Campaign has welcomed a pledge by Minister for Transport Mr. Séamus Brennan T.D. that the membership of the long-awaited Working Group on the re-opening of the Western Rail Corridor will be announced over Easter.

Speaking to journalists in Sligo earlier this week, Mr. Brennan acknowledged that there had been a considerable delay in honouring the commitment originally given in December last, and subsequently in Kiltimagh seven weeks ago, but stated that this had been due to his desire to have the best possible Chairman rather than any delaying tactics on the part of his Department.

Mr. Brennan said he recognised the growing sense of frustration and annoyance among campaigners and the general public but asked for forbearance for just a short while longer. He confirmed that all the other members of the Working Group had now been put in place and that once the Chairman had been appointed an announcement would quickly follow.

Mr. Brennan said he wanted to have a "dynamic" Chairman who would move the project forward as quickly as possible and who would have a proper understanding of the issues involved.

A spokeswoman for West on Track admitted that a deep sense of unease had been developing in the region over the past few weeks because of a perceived lack of information coming from the Department. Although a number of people had been approached to serve on the Working Group, there appeared to be little evidence of the "sense of urgency" which the Minister had promised in Kiltimagh.

"Thankfully the Minister has now gone some way towards allaying those fears but it is not unreasonable to suggest that the public will remain sceptical until the Working Group has been appointed and until the date and location of the first meeting has been announced," she said.

She added that the West on Track campaign would participate in good faith in the Working Group on the understanding that its agenda would be fully consistent with the re-opening of the entire Western Rail corridor in stages.