CIE not for turning on Athlone bus depot location

Efforts to persuade Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ) to move its Athlone bus depot from the Southern Station Road to a more peripheral site on the outskirts of town have been unsuccessful, Westmeath County Council has confirmed.

The council is currently preparing to start a new planning process for the proposed Railway Field Road, a town centre project which has been discussed, planned and delayed for more than 15 years.

An extended Bus Éireann parking area at its current site, across the road from the town's bus station, is due to form part of the road project.

Earlier this year, Green Party councillor Louise Heavin asked the local authority to engage with An Post and CIE to examine the feasibility of relocating the bus park to the former An Post facility adjacent to exit 11 (Coosan) on the N6 bypass.

However, council director of services Barry Kehoe has confirmed that CIÉ and Bus Éireann would not be willing to move the bus depot to another location, for a variety of reasons.

Mr Kehoe said those reasons included "that the current site meets their needs, the site can accommodate the growing needs of Athlone, it is adjacent to the current train and bus stations, and it provides bus maintenance services as well as being a staff base, fuel, vehicle washing and training centre.

"In addition, it was explained that the site is well-serviced, from an ESB Networks perspective, to facilitate the imminent electrification of the town bus fleet," he added.

At the September meeting of the Athlone Moate Municipal District, councillors were told that the local authority was now "preparing documentation to undertake the appropriate planning process for the road" and for work at the bus depot, which is expected to include a 67-bay bus park.

Next month's Municipal District meeting is due to include an update on the specific form that the planning process will take in relation to both the road project, between the Crescent junction and St Vincent's Care Centre, and the works at the bus depot site.

The Cathaoirleach of Westmeath County Council, Cllr Aengus O'Rourke, described the length of time it was taking to advance the road project as "very frustrating".

The permanent one-way traffic system on Church Street came into effect in 2018 and Cllr O'Rourke said that, when the Church Street development was being planned, a "proper realignment of the Crescent junction" was always regarded as part of it.

"The regularising of the Crescent junction was part of getting Church Street right, in terms of the traffic flow and all of that. We kind of had a contract with the people to get that junction right in order for Church Street to be the success it needs to be. And we're not even close to it."

Cllr O'Rourke said the second phase of the Church Street project, at Mardyke Street and Sean Costello Street, was now moving closer and yet the Railway Field project was still "caught up in planning, bureaucracy and indecision."