West=On=Track - News

West on Track welcomes Minister Brennan's Announcement of Working Group on WRC

Press Release
Thursday May 6th 2004

The West on Track Community Campaign has warmly welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Transport, Mr. Séamus Brennan of the membership of the Working Group on the re-opening of the Western Rail Corridor.

"This Working Group is properly representative of the statutory and voluntary sectors throughout the region as well as the Department of Transport and Iarnród Éireann," said a spokesman for the campaign, which was launched in June of last year to seek the re-opening of the rail line from Sligo to Limerick.

"The appointment of Mr. Pat McCann, Chief Executive of Jury's Hotel Group, as Chairman of the Working Group is particularly welcome," he continued. "Throughout his career, Mr. McCann has had an outstanding record of positive commitment to development in every part of the country and has shown a keen understanding of the value of quality infrastructure in the promotion of tourism and other economic activity. His appointment will be particularly welcomed in his native Sligo, a county which has played a major role in the campaign for the restoration of the Western Rail Corridor."

The West on Track spokesman went on to express the group's appreciation of the interest shown by Minister Brennan in the WRC project over the past year, despite the many difficulties facing him in other areas of his brief. He also commended Iarnród Éireann for what he described as "their increasingly positive attitude in recent months to the potential of the WRC."

"We now look forward to speedily progressing the plan for the restoration of the WRC through positive and constructive engagement with our colleagues in the Working Group," he concluded.

The West on Track representatives on the Working Group will be Ms. Helen Rochford Brennan of Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo, Mr. Martin Cunniffe, a prominent businessman from Claremorris, Co. Mayo and Councillor Tom McHugh, Chairman of Tuam Chamber of Commerce, who is the owner of a well-known building company in Co. Galway.