Killucan rail station raised in Dáil

Shortly before a meeting between Westmeath County Council members and TII the long-running campaign for the reopening of Killucan railway station was raised in the Dáil.

The Iarnród Éireann position was backed by the government, who said a recent assessment did not support the immediate development of a new station.

During a Dáil debate on the rail network, Labour TD Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport about plans for Killucan station.

He also asked whether the minister would engage with local elected representatives and the campaign group seeking the station’s reopening, given population growth in the surrounding area.

In a written response, Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Seán Canney, TD, said that global infrastructure consulting firm, AECOM, was appointed by Iarnród Éireann in 2024 to assess public transport demand in the Killucan, Kinnegad and Hill of Down areas of Westmeath and Meath.

The assessment examined whether a new railway station or alternative public transport measures would best meet local demand. According to the minister, the study recommended “Enhanced Bus Provision”, involving three additional daily return journeys between Mullingar and Kilcock using the existing 115C service.

The report acknowledged that there was demand for a railway station at Killucan but concluded that an additional scheduled stop would increase journey times for existing rail passengers. As a result, the assessment identified a lower overall level of demand compared with the enhanced bus option.

The issue has not been completely closed. In December 2025, the department asked Iarnród Éireann to examine whether circumstances had changed sufficiently to support a Killucan station.

The company subsequently confirmed that, for the time being, there had been no material developments that would alter the recommendations of the 2024 report.

The minister also pointed to the planned extension of DART+ West beyond Maynooth to Kilcock, subject to planning approval, which he said would improve connections for passengers using the 115C service.

Killucan station was also not recommended in the 2024 All-Island Strategic Rail Review. The review is expected to be revisited approximately every decade, providing a future opportunity to reassess the case for a station in light of changing travel demand.