Snow delays MEPs" review of Killucan Station proposals

Blankets of snow stopped two Irish MEPs from visiting Killucan, as locals gathered at the Workmen"s Club Hall in Rathwire to hear the latest about the campaign to re-open Killucan"s train station.A crowd of about forty people braved the Friday night cold to hear Denis Leonard, of the Killucan/Kinnegad Transport Lobby Group, update residents on the group"s progress in recent months.They heard that while both Independent MEP Marian Harkin and her Fine Gael counterpart, Jim Higgins had planned to attend the meeting, both were held up in Europe thanks to snow drifts at airports in Brussels and Frankfurt.A number of apologies were sent by local TDs and senators, with the political realm represented by Cllrs. Dan McCarthy (Labour), Frank McDermott, Pat McLoughlin (Fine Gael) and Paddy Hill (Fianna Fáil).Residents were nevertheless assured that even in Brussels, their demands to see Killucan Railway Station re-opened are being heard, with Ms. Harkin making representations to Irish Rail on their behalf.'Iarnrod Eireann is fully committed to the Government"s Transport 21 capital investment programme to 2015 for rail, which includes projects throughout the network,' read the reply of Iarnród Éireann"s chief executive, Richard Fearn. 'However, I regret that the reopening of Killucan station is not included in Transport 21 and therefore cannot be undertaken under the present programme.'It"s the same mantra which Killucan residents have heard from sources in both Irish Rail and the Government time and time again.However, Irish Rail vowed that it 'will not take any action which would prevent the reopening of the station, should a good business case be made and funding became available at some point in the future'.Speaking to residents on Friday night, Mr. Leonard clarified that with Lagan Cement in Kinnegad pledging to donate materials for the reconstruction of the station, and a recent feasibility study underlining the viability of a working station at Killucan, a good case had already been made.He also informed those present that there were indications that Transport 21 - the Government"s masterplan for improving Ireland"s transport links up to 2015 - could be reviewed in 2011, raising the possibility that plans for Killucan Station, as well as the Mullingar-Athlone rail line, could be included in any revised edition of the document.This news came from Transport Minister Noel Dempsey, who replied to a representation made by Labour TD for Longford-Westmeath, Willie Penrose.'The location of stations and decisions regarding the re-opening of stations on the rail network is an operational matter for Iarnród Éireann and not one in which I have a role,' the Minister said.Favour'There"s so much stacked in our favour,' Mr. Leonard, a Labour local election candidate, told the meeting. 'We now hear that the Navan-Dublin line is ahead of schedule, and there may be money left over. We"re hoping that some of this money might be redirected for use at Killucan Station.'He outlined a list of positives and negatives facing the campaign, and stated that after years of road development, there was a 'new consciousness of the need for a national rail network', comparable to one which existed earlier in the twentieth century.There are fears in Killucan, Kinnegad and north Westmeath that given its location in the heart of Minister Dempsey"s constituency, the former station yard at the Hill of Down could get the political support so desperately needed in Killucan.But Mr. Leonard said that the advantage of choosing Killucan station are greater in number, and he called for a 'political consensus' to be reached in 2009 with a view to moving Killucan forward.Cllr. Paddy Hill (Fianna Fáil) said that it was important that residents in the wider north Westmeath area, not alone Kinnegad, Killucan and areas like Rochfortbridge and Milltownpass, should do all in their power to 'convince the Government and Irish Rail that this is a viable project'.'I"m not a believer in big groups, and I have no time for talking shops. There"s going to be an awful lot of hot air blown coming up to the elections,' Cllr. Hill said. 'What you need is a small group to go forward and to organise meetings with the Minister and Irish Rail, or with MEPs.'After that, it comes down to funding.''We have a small focus committee, but it"s important that we get new ideas by involving people in the community,' Denis Leonard said in reply.Cllr. Pat McLoughlin said that it was 'absurd' that Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann are 'getting rid of buses and staff at a time when we need public transport'.'Have we a guarantee from Irish Rail that they will stay on track - if you"ll excuse the pun - for twenty years after receiving local investment for the station?' he asked.Mr. Leonard said that if a public source of funding was sourced for the redevelopment of the station, Irish Rail would take on the full running costs of the facility, with only a certain amount of customers needed to make the station feasible in the short term.'The feasibility study carried out only factored in Kinnegad, Killucan and Ballivor, and showed that the station would be more than viable,' he said. 'It didn"t take into account places like eastern Mullingar, Rochfortbridge, Milltownpass and the rest of north Westmeath.'He said that another meeting will be scheduled for a couple of months time, when it is hoped that residents of the station"s catchment area could meet with the MEPs and TDs.'A community group like ours can only advocate so far. It"s a matter of getting the right people around the table, so people who make decisions can take notice,' Mr. Leonard said.WEBLINK: www.reopenkillucanstation.org