For a lot of us, the concern is how meaningful the figures are.
The number includes passengers from Ennis to Limerick (always healthy enough) and Athenry to Galway (probably benefitting from improved frequency and the reopening of Oranmore), but there’s still a massive question mark over numbers between Ennis and Athenry, which is where the funding went.
Any reopening is competing for resources with other rail projects, like Waterford-Rosslare (with usable services), Athlone-Mullingar and Midleton-Youghal. The fact there’s a big motorway to Tuam must have seriously damaged its chances.
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