NAAS, 25 January 2002: by Trish Whelan. A plan which would open up vast tracts of land to the east of Naas with a light rail link from Sallins to the Curragh has been put forward by Naas Town councillor Seamie Moore.

He said the plan would link Sallins station with Johnstown, Begger’s End, Punchestown, Two Mile House, Kilcullen, Athgarvan and back to the mainline rail at the Curragh Race course.

He put the cost at around £40 million but would not say if this included the purchase of land.

Cllr Moore believed now was the time to ask Minister Mary O’Rourke to ‘look at Naas’.

The plan was supported by Cllr Timmy Conway who called it ‘bold and imaginative’. He said it was the way to go and would open up such areas.

The plan was attacked by Cllr Mary Glennon who said it would open up huge areas of agricultural land for development and would have a detrimental effect on the bloodstock industry for which Kildare is famous.

She did not believe it would work on the grounds that Naas Town Council ‘hasn’t even managed to organise a Park and Ride facility for its own commuters in the last two years’.

She said: “If we hadn’t rezoned over the land on which the railway ran in Naas ...”

Cllr Anthony Egan asked about the possibility of reopening the old railway line to the town.

Cllr Pat McCarthy asked Seamie Moore to consider the implications. “It would be a line around Naas and the whole area would become a concrete jungle with Naas in the middle.”

He said two extra lines on the railway between Dublin and Kildare town will mean a huge increase in passenger capacity.

“If we can’t build a decent ring road around the town, this just won’t work,” Cllr Charlie Byrne said. “But a rail link to Sallins, that would be a hey day for Naas.”

Seamie Moore said there was no chance of this happening as ‘all you can see are roof tops the whole way out to the station’.

Cllr Moore said Minister Mary O’Rourke has said she will look at areas that will link up new lines for commuters and at reopening old lines where possible. “Naas fits into that bracket. We should be looking at putting the railway in before it’s needed.”

“It would be years before it would happen. But it will be millions of years if we don’t put our hat into the ring.”

The proposal to make a submission to the Strategic Rail Review Survey now being introduced by the Government for the light rail route was passed by 4 votes to 3.

In favour were Cllrs Moore, Callaghan, Conway, Bracken, and O’Reilly. Against: Cllrs Glennon, Byrne and McCarthy.

©2002knn

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