Tuam railway station

Tuam Tuaim
112 at Tuam railway station on 7 April 1990
General information
Location	Sean Purcell Rd. Tuam, Co. Galway Ireland
Elevation	119 ft
Owned by	Iarnród Éireann
Operated by	Iarnród Éireann
Platforms	2
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Other information
Station code	TUAM
Fare zone	N
History
Opened	Reopening in the 2020s
Original company	Great Southern and Western Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Southern and Western Railway
Post-grouping	Great Southern Railways
Key dates
1 August 1851	Station opened
1976	Station closes to passenger services
1993	Station closes fully

Tuam railway station is a largely disused railway station in Tuam, County Galway, Ireland.

History

The station was originally opened in 1860 as part of the Waterford, Limerick and Western Railway route between Limerick and Sligo, and was the major stop on the section between Athenry and Claremorris, being the only station on this section with two platforms and a passing loop. In 1901, the WLWR was purchased by the Great Southern and Western Railway, and thus became part of the GSWR's network. Tuam also featured an extensive goods yard and locomotive facilities. The station was closed, along with the whole route, in 1976 during Córas Iompair Éireann's rationalisation of the rail network.

After its closure to passenger trains, the goods facilities at Tuam continued to be heavily used, as the route remained a significant one for freight. The carriage and locomotive sheds were also used by a group called Westrail. This was a railway preservation group that operated trains between Athenry, Tuam and Claremorris until 1993, when Tuam station was closed as a block post. Sean Canney in favour of reopening it in 2020 as part of the Reopning of the Western Rail Corridor.

The former Asahi liner train bringing intermodal containers through the station

Railfreight

The line through the station has been used to transport intermodal containers.

Future plans

As part of the Transport 21 plan, the Limerick-Sligo route was to be rebuilt in stages as the Western Railway Corridor. The reopening of the Athenry-Claremorris section was planned in two sections. Section 1 expected the section between Athenry and Tuam to reopen, with an intermediate stop at Ballyglunin; the section between Tuam and Claremorris was to open as Section 2. Due to financial constraints in public finances, both sections were indefinitely postponed—though Irish Rail's Rail Vision 2030 report recommended Galway-Tuam to be a priority for review if finances become available.

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