It’s claimed the reopening of a Clare railway station would require only a “tiny investment” in the grand scheme of the revised National Development Plan.
With the Government not due to release the list of projects to be supported by the €275 billion strategy for several months, stakeholders have begun to lobby for particular proposals to be included.
The highly-publicised plan sets out a total public capital investment of €275.4 billion from 2026 to 2035.
Of this, €102.4 billion has been allocated to the various Government departments for spending up to the end of the decade, with a further €100 billion set aside for 2030 to 2035.
Following on from the previous National Development Plan, the review provides a further €34 billion including equity funding of €10 billion to 2030 for large energy, water and transport projects.
Ogonnelloe-based architect Garry Miley believes revamping the planning system must go hand-in-hand with any pledge to transform infrastructure.
The lion’s share of investment in the plan will go towards housing, with €36 billion allocated to this department, while transport will receive €24 billion, €2 billion of which is earmarked for Dublin’s Metrolink.
An independent socio-economic analysis appraisal of the benefits of reopening the Crusheen Rail Stop published in September of 2024 found that the full cost of the project would be around €4.5 million.
Colmán Ó Raghallaigh of the West On Track group, which advocates for the reopening of the Western Railway Corridor, says it would be very inexpensive in comparison to other proposed developments.
The substandard quality of rural roads is a consistent source of ire for many in Clare.
O’Callaghan’s Mills farmer and Secretary of the Clare branch of the Irish Creamery and Milk Suppliers Association, Martin McMahon, believes additional funding should go towards hedge maintenance in isolated areas.
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