The opening of the Galway to Limerick railway this month will herald a windfall for local retailers and may spark a price war between the two western cities, according to the Galway Chamber of Commerce.
 

Towns and villages along the €106.5m route can also expect to benefit commercially in the long-term from the improved connectivity provided by the rail corridor, which will cater for commuters in four County Galway towns.
 

Five new services are to commence on March 30 which will serve Limerick, Ennis, Athenry and Galway; as well as new stations at Sixmilebridge, Gort, Ardrahan and Craughwell. The journey from Galway to Limerick will take two hours.
 

CEO of Galway Chamber of Commerce Michael Coyle welcomed the opening of the new route and anticipated a major boost for the county as a result, citing the American adage “civilisation follows the improved highway”.
 

“We have seen how a town like Claremorris thrived as a result of improved road and rail infrastructure, and I would expect that towns in County Galway will benefit from the opening of the Western Rail Corridor in a similar fashion,” he said.
 

“I think the introduction of the LUAS in Dublin can be viewed as a microcosm of this, as property prices in areas close to the line have risen since the opening of the service.”
 

Five services depart Galway from Monday to Saturday at 6.40am, 9.45am, 12.10pm, 2.30pm and 5.25pm. Four Sunday trains from Galway run at 8.25am, 12.05pm, 4.25pm and 6.40pm.
 

The morning train service to Galway city for commuters will leave Gort at 7.33am, arriving at Ardrahan at 7.44am, Craughwell at 7.55am, Athenry at 8.06am; arriving at Ceannt Station at 8.25am.
 

The most popular return journey for commuters will leave the city at 5.25pm and will pull into Gort Station just under 50 minutes later.
 

A day return ticket to Limerick from Galway will cost passengers €20, while the cost of monthly commuter tickets range from €123 from Athenry to Galway, to €177 for passengers travelling from Gort.
 

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune