GLUAS campaigners claim light rail cheaper than bus network
Galway City Tribune - The provision of 21km of light rail in Galway City has been costed and would be cheaper than developing and extending bus routes, according to the backers of the GLUAS campaign.
Campaigners have said the light rail system would cost €282 million, compared to €300m for the development of the city’s bus network.
They have now renewed their call for an independent survey – commissioned by the Department of Transport – into the viability of light rail for Galway City.
Earlier this year the National Transport Authority described the GLUAS proposal for Galway as being a ‘highly inefficient option’ to address the city’s traffic woes.
Campaigners say a tram service could be provided within a 30-month period, while the proposal to develop city bus routes has been the subject for discussions for the past 10 years without much progress taking place.
The GLUAS committee costed the provision of 21km of light rail for the city at €282m while developing and extending 14km of bus routes along with upgrading and increasing the fleet would cost in the region of €300 million.
City businessman Brendan Holland, who is GLUAS Project Chairman, told the Galway City Tribune that it made “common sense” to provide a more efficient tram service to reduce the number of cars in the city. To read the rest of this article, see this week's Galway City Tribune. Buy a digital edition of this week's paper here, or download the app for Android or iPhone.