No Donegal-Sligo train line due to ‘very low demand’ and environmental impact

The Seanad Éireann was told that there was no train line from Donegal to Sligo and further afield on the western coast due to “low demand for all passenger rail services” and that a rail investment would “have a significant adverse impact on the environment.”

Deputy Jerry Buttimer, a Minister of State at the Department of Transport, spoke on the matter on behalf of Seán Canney, Minister of State at the Department of Transport. Darragh O’Brien is the current Minister for Transport.

In answering a question by Senator Nessa Cosgrove, who questioned why investment hadn’t been approved for a railway between Claremorris and Collooney, Deputy Buttimer said: “Modelling undertaken as part of the rail review published in 2024 found that investments on the disused line between Claremorris and Sligo and onwards to Donegal would result in a very low demand for passenger rail services and that building a railway would have a significant adverse impact on the environment.

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“For these reasons, the project was not included in the recommendations of the rail review; hence, it was not identified as a major project to be progressed in the rail project prioritisation strategy.

“However, the rail review will be reviewed and updated once a decade. This review will provide the opportunity to reconsider a potential extension of the western rail corridor further north, taking account of the latest policies and developments, for example, if there is an increased passenger demand as a result of the reinstatement of the line between Claremorris and Athenry.”