By Claire Corrigan
A large crowd gathered at Cunningham’s Bar, Killucan, last Wednesday night for a meeting to relaunch the campaign to re-open Killucan Train Station, a campaign that has been in existence since 2003, and has been reorganised by the Killucan Kinnegad Transport Lobby Group.
Chairperson Denis Leonard revealed that he had recently received a letter from Irish Rail CEO, Jim Meade, saying that the the National Development Plan contained provision for a Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, and in a letter to Deputy Willie Penrose in December 2018, Mr. Meade stated that Iarnród Éireann would lend its support to an application for funding based on a positive business plan.”
Mr. Leonard said that with more money available, there was more positivity in regard to the reopening of the station. “Also if Killucan Station was open, it would cut our carbon emissions. It would cost €1.8m to open it and there is talk of €160 million in fines that the Irish government is facing in 2020 for not cutting back on emissions.”
He said that at a recent Kinnegad Action Plan, members said they advocated the reopening of Killucan Railway Station to enhance education and employment opportunities, while the Westmeath County Development Plan promoted the reopening and use of Killucan Station on the Dublin to Sligo rail line and the provision for an area contiguous to the railway station to be kept free from development to facilitate associated car parking and park and ride facilities.”
He said that Irish Rail had initially costed the project at €5m but have since agreed with the plan drawn up by Quantity Surveyor hired by the group who said it would cost €1.8m.
“I have a letter from the current County Manager, Pat Gallagher, who said he would like to meet the head of Irish Rail and maybe look at a joint funding proposal.”
“The station was opened in 1848 and closed in 1963, when there was a very small population in this area. Now the population has grown in Killucan/ Rathwire to about 1,600 and in Kinnegad to 2,750, Mr. Leonard continued.
“It is a loop point in the line and one train must stop to let the other by. All we are proposing is that the train that would pull in at the operating platform would either embark or disembark people. Irish Rail have now agreed to a one platform operation.”
Through the years, the campaign members met with various Ministers for Transport and Irish Rail CEOs. “That has been part of the problem. County Managers change, CEOs change and Ministers change much more often. “After meetings on Amien Street, Irish Rail carried out their own feasibility study (we had one done through Athlone Institute of Technology back in 2007).
Irish Rail’s survey said that time-tabling and funding were problems and the demographic didn’t support a station.”
New Demographic being done
“That is not true because when the County County did the demographic, if you go 5km from Killucan station, you have 4,900 people. Kinnegad brought it to 11,400 and 3,000 in Meath. If you go to 15km, which includes East Mullingar (and we mention that because it’s hard to get into the station), that would be in 38,000 people.
“’We’ve asked the County Council to do a new demographic and see the future plans for Killucan and Kinnegad, which will involve more housing,” he advised.
He said that funding for the station could be sought through the Rural Development Programme and the Border, Midland and Western Regional Operational Programme 2014-2020 (BMW), which is a funding package of €320 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Irish exchequer. It is match funding and you can get 75 per cent from Rural Development Programme and BMW will serve as matching funding who can fund up to 50 per cent.”
He said the results of Irish Rail’s feasibility study stated that a minimum of 232 commuters to Dublin from the housing developments in Ballivor, Killucan/Rathwire and Kinnegad would definitely use the service and a further 79 said they more than likely would. “The problem was that only 19 commuters to Dublin, at the time, would have paid for it at the station with an unmanned ticket machine. The overall population of the electoral districts contained within 10km of the station has grown by 30 per cent and 26 per cent.”
Daily commute
One man spoke of how he gets up at 6am every morning to travel to work in Dublin via the M4. “It is gridlock every morning. Everyone is stuck from Kilcock to the Maynooth Junction. It crawls from there all the way into the city every morning. People are driving for an hour and a half every morning and evening. They could park their car at Killucan station and be in the city in 50 minutes,” he stated.
Mr. Leonard said he had extended an invitation to Minister Ross to Killucan to meet with locals.
Letter Writing and Dáil activity
He urged locals to contact Minister Ross and Mr Meade to push the campaign. “We had a postcard campaign and there was also an official song composed by Sean Coffey. We held a walk from the Hill of Down to here; there have been many events to raise awareness.”
Mr. Leonard suggested that an updated version of the postcard be made available in local businesses and the proposal was agreed on by attendees.
Useful contacts for the Group include: Denis Leonard – Kinnegad 087-643-0783; Becky Loftus Dore – Killucan 087-677-8270; and Billy Gough – Killucan 087-979-2880. For more information, visit ‘Killucan Reopen Train Station Campaign’ on Facebook.
