A public consultation on a rail link between Shannon Airport and Limerick City will now not commence until next year.
This is despite an indication in the summer that it would commence in the latter half of this year, for a direct link between the airport and the regional cities.
However, the NTA is denying there was ever a firm commitment on the matter, as Clare FM’s James Mulhall reports.
A draft Limerick-Shannon Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy is currently being prepared by the NTA and Clare and Limerick County Councils – among the measures expected to be included in this is a rail link between Limerick and the airport.
However, despite an indication in the summer that a public consultation on this rail would begin in the latter part of this year, it’s been confirmed that it will be Quarter 1 of next year now.
Limerick Fine Gael Senator Maria Byrne has pressed the importance of the issue in the Seanad.
Calls for a direct link between Shannon Airport and the cities of Limerick and Galway date back years in Clare.
The late former Clare Mayor Seán Hillery made the case decades ago and it’s claimed much of the infrastructure is already in place for it.
But in a statement to Clare FM, the National Transport Authority says the priority is to produce a plan that is properly thought true and that public opinion on such a link will be harvested in the early part of next year.
Statement from the NTA
“The NTA in conjunction with local authorities in the area is currently preparing a draft Limerick-Shannon Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy.
This strategy will set out a framework for investment in transport infrastructure and services for Limerick and Shannon for a 20-year period, and will be subject to review every 5 years.
It is intended to publish a draft in Q1 2020 for public consultation, after which a final strategy will be published.
While at one stage we may have given an indication that the draft could be completed by the end of this year, I don’t think it’s accurate to say that we confirmed it.
Our priority is to produce a plan that is properly thought through, and that reflects local considerations, even if that takes a little longer than had been anticipated.”
